Restless Days and Restless Nights
by SpnHemelLass
Summary: A series of vignettes inspired in part by the episode, THE TIES THAT BIND (and others)...where first, Thomas needs a little help from his friends if he would only admit it! As the three friends face life's ups and downs, they each rely on each other to always have their brothers' back. The fellowship of the ring and how it works in the lives of the Magnum clan...
1. Restless Days and Restless Nights Ch 1

RESTLESS DAYS AND RESTLESS NIGHTS

by Hemel Lass

"Hey, Thomas…." Rick had been humming, loudly, since he came down the steps as he crossed the lawn of Robin's Nest towards the tidal pool, and Magnum knew exactly why he had done so. It was to let him know someone was approaching, so he wouldn't overreact or react badly, possibly lashing out physically. They all knew to do that at certain times with each other.

Magnum just smiled up at his friend, from where he sat on the ground, with his legs stretched out just short of the retaining wall before the tidal pool. "Hello, Orville…shouldn't you be at work?"

"Orville, huh? What did I ever do to deserve you not calling me my preferred name? And I don't generally work on Sunday, Tommy."

"Oh, it's Sunday? I didn't realize."

"Yeah, Higgins said you haven't been sleeping, like, for quite a while now."

Magnum frowned. "Wait a minute…how does that work? She sleeps in the main house. I'm in the guest house. How would she know if I am sleeping, or not?"

Rick gave him a long look. "Come on, Thomas, the whole property is covered with video cameras, you helped ensure that. She checks the recordings every morning. She showed me some of the replays. You've been patrolling the perimeter every night unless you're swimming laps in the tidal pool…or –- and I couldn't believe this, taking the surf ski out? In the middle of the night? That can't be legal…or safe, TM. It doesn't have lights."

"Actually, Rick, I will have you know that I checked with the Coast Guard and outfit it properly with lights I can put on and take off to recharge. It's not like we are on shipping lanes out here and you know that I know what I am doing at sea. It's not, as Juliet put it the first time I went out at night, 'indulging in risky behavior'. I just needed to DO something, do something different." Magnum stretched his arms out then put them back down on the ground, leaning his weight on them.

Rick leaned on his friend's shoulder and used that to ease down to sit on the ground next to him. "What gives, Thomas? Why can't you sleep? What's going on with you?" He hesitated a moment but plunged ahead. "Higgins told me the Sako girls are still coming to talk to you. Is that it? Look, if talking to them is bringing up stuff that's getting to be too much for you…got the memories too stirred up? My mom always told me that picking at barely healed wounds is how you get scars. Maybe it's time you tell them to go talk to a counselor or something. It can't be good for you…"

Thomas sighed, shaking his head. "Don't start on that, Rick. This isn't delayed stress or PTSD. I'm helping them. I can tell and that's what I want to do. I'm going to keep doing it, too. As long as they need me, I will be here for them."

"Well, who's here for you, huh? To pick up the pieces."

"Rick, I'm fine…no pieces to pick up. And as for sleep...I got plenty of that in the Hole." He shrugged, "Couldn't tell night from day anyway - couldn't even tell if my eyes were open or closed. I can afford to lose some sleep now."

Wright interrupted him. "Thomas, sleep doesn't work that way. You need a certain amount out of every 24 hour period. You can't store it up and carry it over from captivity to now."

"I sleep during the day some and it's not like I have a case right now." Suddenly, Thomas stood up and began pacing restlessly. "It's just at night lately? It's too dark. The walls start closing in and I have to get out…have to move, you know? Have to prove to myself I'm not still back THERE." He rubbed the back of his head, looking a bit sheepish. "Here's something you may not know about me, Rick. I have struggled with insomnia off and on my whole life. Well, most of it, ever since my dad died, actually. It's nothing new. I've coped with it forever and I am handling it now. I really am fine. And, Higgins shouldn't have dragged you into this."

"Now you hold on, Thomas. She shouldn't have had to. That wasn't the deal! But then, you never stick with the deal, dude. You never self report when you are having a tough time with something. You keep it to yourself. You let it fester and grow. We agreed to look out for each other; to be there for each other, …but how can we be here for you, when you hide stuff like this from us, huh? So don't get mad at Higgins…she actually cares about you and there is NOTHING wrong with that!"

"Oh, come on, Rick…she can barely stand me."

The Club manager shook his head. "Look, she likes her little games with you, Tommy, but it's not true she can barely stand you, not anymore. She has become one of us, whether you want to admit it or not."

Magnum's outraged stance faded as his shoulders slumped. "Yea, okay, maybe you're right about that. And I guess I should have told you, but honestly, Rick, I don't consider this a problem. It's just the same old, same old, for me. As I told you, I have struggled with insomnia for most of my life. I have so many little ways of coping. The relentless walking the perimeter? I'm not patrolling, I'm trying to wear myself out enough that I'll actually be able to sleep and not lay up there freaking out. I have to keep going until I can fall asleep and stay asleep, otherwise, I'll wake up screaming. And nobody wants that…the dogs would probably eat me or something."

Rick laughed. "So, how about tonight, TC and I come over and just hang out? Sleepover at Magnum's place. How does that sound? Maybe it will help."

"No slipping me a Mickey. You know I don't handle getting drugged well."

"No Mickey, I promise," Rick stood up. "…and if you need to go for a run or a swim, that's fine. Just let us hang out with you."

"TC may have a tour tomorrow morning, Rick. And you have work." Magnum objected. "I - I don't want to be a problem for you guys."

"Thomas…" Rick grabbed him around his neck, pulled him closer and gently began rubbing his shoulders. "You're not a problem. Maybe TC will have to leave early, but we'll work it out - okay? We are here for you, brother, but you have to let us be here for you."

Thomas sighed. "I'm not sure I'm worth it, Rick."

"All right. Stop that nonsense, right now. It is not a question of you being worth it or not, my friend…but if it was, YOU absolutely are worth it. You have been there for both of us more times than I can count and in ways, I cannot even begin to enumerate." He held up his ring. "Remember what this stands for. More than that, look how you ripped yourself open in your efforts to help Amanda, how you kept her dad from becoming a murderer and how hard you pushed to find Mari in time, for her and her dad. You are a good man, Thomas Magnum…and I am going to keep telling you that until you finally believe it." Rick stepped closer – right inside Magnum's 'personal space', getting a very serious look on his face as he pressed on." Now, what is really going on with you, my friend? Why are you so down on yourself?"

Immediately, Magnum tried to backtrack. "I'm not. Don't mind me." He flashed a grin and quipped. "Haven't you heard? I haven't been sleeping. I must be getting rum dummy."

"Stop. Stop it, right now. Something is going on. What's wrong? What are you thinking?"

The former Seal looked out at the waves. "I shouldn't even be here, Rick. How does it make any sense? I'm still alive and Nuzo…he had Lara and Jay. …And I couldn't. I couldn't…I didn't save him. God, I miss him so much. Why? In what world, does that make any sense? It – it hurts, Rick. It hurts so bad. It's like an ache that never really goes away. I'm so tired of how empty it feels - the place where he used to be." A tear rolled down his cheek…and he swiped at it angrily, shaking his head. "What's the matter with me, dumping that on you? I've got no right. It's my own damn fault."

Rick slapped Thomas lightly on the back of his head. "Stop that! It's not true, damn it! You did everything you could to save Nuzo, TM. You didn't have enough time. And it isn't your fault. I am so sick of you blaming yourself for every damn thing that goes wrong. The only people whose fault it was are rotting in Hell, thanks to you and your efforts, so quit with the self-blame, okay?"

Thomas rubbed the back of his head. "Ow, Rick. That smarts."

Rick grinned at him. "Got your attention though, didn't it?"

"Well, yeah. I guess it did at that. But…"

"No, no buts…no ifs or ands, either. Just settle. Look…we all miss Nuzo. He was kind of a father figure for all of us."

TM cut in. "I think Bast would say he was too young to have fathered any of us, Rick."

"That's debatable," Rick deflected, "but you know what I mean. And most of all, I know how hard it is for you. You were together since BUD/s…and he respected the hell out of you, Thomas. He loved you every bit as much as you loved him, and he wouldn't want you to be feeling this way or doing this to yourself. He'll always be with you here…" He lightly tapped over Magnum's heart. "and in here." He placed his hand on the PI's forehead. "And I know it isn't quite the same with TC and me because we were Marines, not Navy, but we are still your brothers…and we are here for you. You should have told us this was still hurting so much, Magnum. I know grief is like that. It doesn't follow a linear path…it's more like the waves on the ocean…and sometimes a riptide comes…"

"Yea…that's what it is like. I'll think I've cleared them and suddenly a big one comes up and…Bam…it's all as fresh as if I just found him." Thomas shook his head. "I've got to get my shit together."

"Again with this…" Rick shook his head, "you're allowed to have rough times…just the same as any of us… You don't have to be 'together' or 'the strong one' all the time, Tommy. Why are you so damn hard on yourself?"

To that, Thomas just shrugged. "Maybe it's the Irish in me?"

Rick barked a laugh. "Sometimes I forget about that – that you are part Irish. So something's got your Irish up, hey?"

"Maybe…. I think manic-depressive is a default Irish condition."

Rick chuckled, "I'll have to ask Chaplain Murphy if that's true the next time I see him."

Magnum's eyes got big. "Don't do that! Has he ever whacked you with his shillelagh?"

"Why? Has he whacked you?" When TM nodded, Rick shook his head. "Sounds like you managed to get his Irish up for sure. So he's got a real shillelagh."

"You never noticed it? It hangs on his wall right over his desk."

"I think you must have wound up in his office more often than I did," Rick replied.

Magnum shook his head. "Not telling… He knew my Grandpa Sullivan, you know?"

"Really? "

"Yeah, …he did. We used to trade stories over an Irish coffee sometimes."

"The padre is a good guy. So, see you tonight?"

"Only if it works out for both of you though…if you have to cancel, I'll understand and I will be okay."

"Drop it, Thomas. I'll be here for sure and I will lay you good odds, so will TC! Okay?"

Looking somewhat embarrassed, Magnum finally gave in. "Okay. Hey, want to go out to lunch? My treat?"

"Kamekona's shrimp truck?"

Tom shrugged. "Sure, why not?" The two friends headed for the Ferrari.

While, up in the main house, Higgins watched on the security feed and sighed in relief that Magnum had his friends to lean on.


	2. Restless Days and Restless Nights Ch 2

Another Day, A Different Problem Altogether

*(*(*)*)*

"Thanks for stopping by, TC," Higgins told the former Marine. "I'm a bit concerned we may have a problem with Thomas."

"Oh-kay, wouldn't be the first time…and probably not the last. Why? What's going on, exactly?"

"He seems to be having night terrors. Two nights ago, Kumu and I were outside enjoying a Mojito when he scared the living hell out of poor Kumu."

TC frowned, having a hard time picturing that woman that rattled. "Why? What did he do? Run around naked or something?"

Juliet smirked at him. "Oh, no - I think Kumu would rather have enjoyed that. No, he suddenly started screaming bloody murder …you could hear him all across the whole estate. Even the lads ran off and hid."

"Ah, this may need the assistance of Rick."

*(*(*)*)*

As if magically, said club manager suddenly appeared at TC's elbow, rubbing the back of his head. "What needs the assistance of Rick, T?"

TC looked down at his friend. "Head itching, Orville?"

*(*(*)*)*

All three were a bit startled when a few moments later, Magnum came bursting out of the door of the guest house, running like the devil himself was on his heels, peeling off his Hawaiian shirt and throwing it carelessly on the ground as he raced pell-mell to the ocean, screaming bloody murder in …

"Is that Arabic?" Higgins asked.

"Hell, yeah," TC responded. "Must have been a bad one."

"His shoulder…the stitches aren't even out, yet." Juliet made to go after the man.

TC grabbed her arm and held her firmly in place. "Don't bother, Higgy. You're not going to be able to stop him."

"He'll re-injure himself."

"Probably…" TC agreed, "But we'll fix him back up."

"The saltwater is going to hurt like hell."

"Trust me. Thomas won't even notice until he gets back."

"Back? Where is he going to go?" Higgins was getting frustrated. "Surely not the open ocean. There are great whites out there. If he's leaving a trail of blood, he's liable to wind up as one of their lunches."

Rick barked a laugh. "I pity the poor shark that messes with TM when he's moving like that, after a dream or flashback like he's just had. He'll make mincemeat of 'em."

Magnum was swimming back and forth in the tidal pool area, increasing his speed and shortening the distance he traveled each time, shrinking his course into tight rapid circles. He reminded Higgins of a Bengal tiger she had seen once at London Zoo, pacing within his enclosure into ever-shrinking circles.

Rick remarked to TC. "He's going to do it." He pulled out his cellphone and walked closer to the tidal pool, beginning to film.

"Oh, yeah. It's been a while since I've seen this particular trick." TC followed at a more leisurely pace.

Suddenly Thomas surged up and plunged below the waves, still in the tidal pool area.

"He's going to breach…" Rick said, clearly anticipating something.

"Breach? What? He's a man, not a bloody whale."

"He's a unique SEAL, Jules."

Thomas came shooting out of the water, clearing the rock wall that separated the tidal pool from the ocean and heading straight out to sea from the estate, his arms knifing through the water.

"How in the hell?" Higgins could hardly believe her eyes.

TC chuckled. "Must have really been a bad one," He remarked to Rick who nodded. Calvin went on. "Aquaman has nothing on our boy."

"Another day and age and he would have made a hell of a cliff diver in Acapulco – could have dined out on the tips from the fancy ladies," Rick replied.

Higgins shook her head. "We should have stopped him. His shoulder isn't even healed yet, the stitches..."

Tc spoke calmingly. "Jules, if your head was in a bad place, would you let someone stop you from doing Yoga?"

Higgins looked at the Club Manager, thoughtfully. TC finished the thought. "The ocean is Thomas' yoga, Jules. It's his Zen place, his Chi, his balance and his peace…"

"Thomas needs that more than anything else right now." Rick finished the thought, definitively. "What do you think, TC? Do we need to go after him, or will he think to turn around halfway to exhausted?"

"Naw, he'll wear himself out and tread water, hoping for the best. Guess I better head to get the chopper."

"Or we could simply take Robin's boat out after him." Higgins offered.

"Really? Would you be okay with that?"

"I'll call for it." The woman agreed easily. She was still concerned about the private investigator tearing out his stitches and attracting sharks.

*(*(*)*)*

A/N: Now for all you naysayers out there, I have seen this done, more than once. Okay, it wasn't Hawaii and a stone wall separating a tidal pool from the open ocean. It was the swimming pool at my high school and it was the captain of my school's water polo team. His name was Bob Bartlett and he was like a 3rd or 4th cousin of mine. He would swim back and forth (from side to side, not end to end) building up speed, suddenly dive down to the bottom of the far (deep) end of the pool, swim up to the middle where there was one of those lines with the float things on it and shoot up out of the water and over the line…while the coaches raised it higher and higher. I think the highest Bob breached was 4 or 5 feet above the water…never touching the line or the floats. The coach thought he would make a heck of a rescue swimmer one day (he meant Navy, but Bob wanted to be a Coastie). Unfortunately, his third year of high school he was murdered in the parking lot of the Assemblies of God church I attended in Melrose Park, Illinois – something to do with him having been a runner for Sam Giancana (a mobster), numbers runner I think. He was a good looking kid and appeared to be the All American jock dreamboat, but quiet rivers run deep...and some sink.

A/N 2: I thought about publishing a series of these under a different title, went away, thought about it and realized it could fit here. Each one is a little nugget of its own and self-contained, unless it somehow winds up continued, which honestly, I think this one may well be. Rick did get some lovely video, after all. Slightly updated to reflect changes needed because I slightly improved the dialogue while working on Parts 4A and 4B.


	3. Restless Days and Restless Nights Ch 3

_IN YOUR TIME_

_*(*(*)*)*_

A Magnum Vignette, set post Epi. 7 The Cat Who Cried Wolf  
*(*(*)*)*

TC's turn for a little help from a friend  
*(*(*)*)*

The watcher frowned and leaned forward, as the dark head began tossing restlessly from side to side. When the helicopter pilot shot upright on his bed, crying "Thomas?", he spoke, softly, reassuringly, "It's alright, TC. You guys found me, brother. I'm safe and so are you. Calm down, easy." He held his hands out, palms facing Calvin like he was asking the man to count his fingers.

TC's hand dove under his pillow, looking for a gun, Magnum knew damn well wasn't there. "Peace, T." He chuckled. "Lot of good it does going for a gun that isn't there, TC. You could use some security around this place - Want me to help you out with that?"

"Damn, Thomas; you scared the living shit out of me."

The PI shook his head. "As if, I know you don't scare that easy."

"Well, okay, startled the living shit out of me."

"I'll buy that…and a vowel please."

"How in the hell did you get in here?"

"Oh, please. I know Higgins thinks I can't pick a lock, but the lock on an Airstream isn't even a challenge for me." Magnum gave him what TC always thought of as 'the eye', like 'What are you talking about?' kind of eye.

"How'd you know?"

"I am a private investigator, you know. I've got skills. Besides your bags are getting bags, Theodore…and you've had the distracted thing going on the past couple of times I saw you. Was I right?"

"About?"

"About what the nightmare was about…"

"It was damn close, Thomas. When I saw the bingo fuel light come on, I thought we'd lost you for sure. Hell of a footnote for a squid, dude. – 'Lost at sea'."

"Wouldn't be the first time that was the epitaph of a sailor, T." Thomas remonstrated, gently.

"Not on my watch, Tommy - no way, no how."

"And thanks to you, Rick and Higgins, it wasn't. So, thanks for that."

"Maholo, TM."

"Now, go back to sleep, Theodore."

TC shook his head. "Thanks for coming, Thomas, but you don't have to stay."

"Oh, chill, big guy. I'm not going anywhere, besides now that I've startled the living shit out of you, you don't want to miss my pancakes in the morning, do you?"

"For real? All this and you're going to make me pancakes, too -not with chocolate chips though, right? That's too sweet first thing in the morning."

"Nope, I bought some fresh blueberries on the way over here. They're in your frig. Now, lay back down."

Calvin chuckled. "Okay, okay, mother hen."

"Naw, that was Nuzo."

"Well, you're doing a pretty good job of channeling him right now."

"Sleep, jarhead." Magnum coached persistently. He began softly singing. "In your time, the innocence will face away…"

TC snorted. "Going sing me to sleep, sweetheart?"

Magnum crinkled his face at him and kept softly singing. "In your time, the mission bells will toll, All along, The corridors and river beds, There'll be sign, in your time..."

TC's eyes began to close, as his friend kept softly singing the song. The sound of that calm, smooth voice was reassuring and he drifted off surprisingly swiftly, musing to himself that he usually had a much harder time falling asleep after a bad one like he'd been having; then all thoughts were gone and blackness and song rocked him into the deep.

*(*(*)*)*

In the morning, Calvin woke to the smell of pancakes and freshly brewed coffee. He found the table already set with silverware. "You are better than an alarm clock any old morning, Thomas. How'd you know when my first tour was today?"

"Plenty of time to eat first, though…and, private investigator, remember? I saw your calendar. Should I make enough for Shammy?"

"I think he'd appreciate that, buddy."

"No problem, had enough batter already made up."

"You'd make someone a hell of a wife, Tommy. How are you staying single?"

Thomas just gave him 'the look'.

"Oh, come on, T. You've got to get back out there."

"Not really in any hurry, Theodore. My taste in women clearly sucks."

"Oh, come on…we all made the mistake of loving her, dude. The mom in the cat case looked pretty fondly at you."

"Not ready yet, TC."

"Gotta ride the horse again before too long, buddy."

"Pot meet kettle." Magnum snorted, as he retorted, quizzing back. "Where's your gal pal, Theodore?"

"How many Bob Seger songs did you sing me last night?"

"Why?"

"I've got 'LIKE A ROCK' playing in the back of my head. Damn earworm!"

"Hey, sue me…you kept getting restless. It worked like a charm though."

"Yea, but I keep hearing the guitar solo, too."

Magnum laughed, "No, son, that was supplied by your imagination…I don't have my guitar here. I think I covered all him and the Bullets Greatest Hits before you totally settled. Well, skipped the real rocky ones."

Thomas glanced at his watch. "Have to go…have an appointment this morning for a job. Have to go to the estate, shower, change, and head out."

"You didn't eat."

"I'm good, T. Don't eat Shammy's!"

"I won't …don't need the extra pounds."

"Later, TC." As he headed out the door, he sang the last few words to the song from the previous night. "There'll be peace, across the great unbroken void, all benign, in your time, you'll be fine, in your time."

Calvin smiled and shook his head. It was good to have friends you could trust to always have your back.

*(*(*)*)*

A/N: Don't worry...I am working on the next Chappie for Just A Simple Exchange, but this one wouldn't leave me alone, so it made it here first. And I realize we don't know if Jay Hernandez can even carry a tune in a bucket, but it's my head, that's what fanfiction is all about, right? The Magnum who only lives in my crazy headspace...and I like to share.


	4. Restless Days and Restless Nights Ch 4

Restless Days and Restless Nights Part 4 A & B

VIRAL VIDEO

Part 4 A

Duke Lukela was walking through the bullpen when he heard Detective Katsumoto whose eyes he noticed were fixed on his computer screen, saying out loud. "Wh-at? No way. That's not even possible." The man hit a button on the computer keyboard and apparently reran what he was watching again. "Da-amn, the man isn't kidding when he says 'he has some skills'. Nah, it's got to be Photoshopped or some kind of computer trickery. That's just not -There's no way."

Curiosity aroused, Duke detoured from his route and walked over to the detective's desk. "What have you got there, Gordon? What has earned your disbelief?"

"Oh, you know that PI I know, Magnum?"

"The one who dispensed assistance in the form of his friends to you when you went missing a while ago? Yes, I've spoken to him on the phone a time or two. So what has he done now? It seems to have thrown you for a loop."

Katsumoto allowed himself a rare smile. "Come around this side and I'll play it for you. I think there must be some kind of computer trickery involved, but I know Higgins. She has the skill to mock something like this up, but it doesn't seem like her style to send me a doctored video."

Duke pointed to the screen, suggesting. "It came with an e-mail, Detective…maybe see what the woman has to say? But show me, first, though." The older man watched as the video ran on the screen, commenting as he did. "Man can swim like a fish."

"Yeah, he's a former SEAL."

"Not another one…they seem to grow on trees around here these days!"

As the screen Magnum went under and breached the sea wall, Lukela's jaw dropped. "Ha! Like to see McGarrett do that! You know, I know a guy who can tell you if it's real or faked and you're being punked."

"Let me guess, the 5-0 guy, Jerry Ortega?"

"Yeah, want to forward it to him?"

"Sure, why not?"

Duke leaned forward, made a few taps on the keyboard and forwarded the e-mail and attached video to Jerry Ortega explaining the video, the source, and the question – was the video real or somehow faked, and asked Ortega to send the answer to Katsumoto and cc a copy to Duke. He hit send and sent it off.

Katsumoto said. "Thanks, Duke. Care to venture an opinion?"

"Honestly, Detective…I've known Steve a long time now and now I have gotten to know a few other SEALS; I sort of have a personal motto. When it comes to SEALs and the sea, NEVER bet against a SEAL being able to do something. When I look at some of the things Steve Mc Garrett has survived in the years I've known him - what he's gone through? I'd NEVER bet against HIM, but I don't know this 'Magnum' at all, still, my general rule stands."

Katsumoto looked at the experienced officer. "Magnum and his three friends were prisoners of the Taliban for 18 months and 11 days…and came back mostly intact from what sounds like it must have been hell on earth. Plus, since I've known him, he's gone through some hellish things, been shot by his ex no less, hit by a car, saved my hide more than once, so I think I'll just borrow your rule, Sgt. Lukela, if that's all right with you?"

"Sounds to me like he might have a lot in common with our 5-0 Commander."

The detective nodded, "including that they know each other."

"Oh, boy. Sounds like it's a good idea that you adopt my rule, Detective. You have a good day."

"Thanks, Sgt., you too!"

A/N: This is going to be a multi-part (clearly) Chapter of this vignette (and it may be longer than a vignette size by the time it is done). Not sure if I've written Sgt. Lukela out of character, but I don't think so from what I've seen of him and I watch Hawaii 5-0 (though admittedly not as much as I watch Magnum...don't own it on Amazon Prime Video, though I do love it!). Hope you enjoyed it...lots more ahead!

*(*(*)*)*


	5. Restless Days and Restless Nights Ch 5

Restless Days and Restless Nights Part 4 B

***(*(*)*)***

VIRAL VIDEO  
***(*(*)*)***

Part 4 B  
***(*(*)*)***

Jerry Ortega sat in his office/cum broom closet. 5-0 hadn't had a case for a few days and, honestly, he was bored. Suddenly an e-mail popped into his inbox from _Sgt. Duke Lukela_. He thought carefully to be sure he hadn't parked somewhere improperly, but thought he was good, so he opened the e-mail and, as he quickly scanned the message, he was immediately intrigued. He had heard some of the officers talking about this Thomas Magnum, P.I., around the cop shop (okay, the break rooms). What had mystified Detective Katsumoto and the good Sgt. enough to have them sending a video to him for him to tell them whether it was real or somehow faked?

Well, he had plenty of time just now to check it out. He had read one or two of the Robin Master's White Knight series and the rumor mill said that was based on this PI's former life as military intelligence and Navy Seal. He enjoyed the read even if he thought some of the character's exploits were extremely exaggerated and strained credulity more than a little…and HE knew McGarrett, for pity's sake. Then he watched the video…like 7 or 8 dozen times. Okay! Oh, boy. No wonder they sent him this video. Time to get into his video analysis toys, - er, tools, he totally meant tools, not toys.

In near total disbelief, as the list of tools he had used grew and the ones he had left to try got shorter and shorter, Jerry found himself having to discard his initial disbelief. If this was faked, it was by a new method because none of his tricks could reveal a trace of chicanery. But, admittedly, physics wasn't his strong suit, but this had to defy natural law, right? After rerunning all his tests, he had to concede defeat and loaded the video on to a thumb drive to take it to consult the big Kahuna himself, McGarrett. He really hoped he wouldn't get fired for wasting his boss's time with this. He'd wait to reply to Katsumoto and Lukela until after that consultation. Go talk to an expert, first, Jerry!

As he rode the elevator up to the upper floors of the Iolani Palace, Jerry was listening to his iPod. This was really an intriguing little 'case' he'd fallen into. Now, he hoped to get a definitive answer from someone he thought most people would acknowledge was an expert in what could and couldn't be done swimming-wise. The doors slid open on the 5-0 level of the Palace and Jerry ambled out. He quickly noticed that everyone looked as bored as he felt. Steve was in his office balling up sheets of paper and tossing them in the garbage can, Lou and Danny looked like they were – playing cards? Tani and Junior looked like they were playing spitball hockey on her desktop.

Adam looked like he was taking a nap. However, now, Adam was sitting up, looking at Jerry with curiosity and he came out of his area, asking, in a hopeful tone. "Got something for us, Jerry?"

"Well, it isn't really a case," Jerry prevaricated, "I was more looking for Steve's expertise here."

McGarrett had already emerged from his office. "What do you have, Jerry?"

"Well, Sgt. Lukela forwarded me an e-mail and video Detective Katsumoto received…asking me to run it through some of my video analytic tools to see if it was real or created digitally. I was intrigued, so I did so and I have to admit, if it was faked, it's by something I have never seen before because all my tools tell me it is the real deal."

"Oh, intriguing," Danny Williams commented, "but what's the big deal, Jerry? What is it a video of?"

Tani chimed in. "Please tell me this is NOT porn!"

"No, Tani, I wouldn't bring something like that to 5-0."

"Well, let's see this bad boy." Hmm, Danny almost seemed a little too intrigued.

Jerry inserted the thumb drive into the port on the computer table.

"On the big screen, Jerry, please," Steve commented his arms crossed, waiting expectantly.

Once the video uploaded Jerry expanded it to full screen and hit play. Everyone saw someone swimming in a tidal pool.

"What's so intriguing about some guy swimming, Jerry?" Danny sounded disappointed.

"Wait for it," Steve remarked, leaning forward. "Wait a minute. I know that swimming style. Is that Thomas Magnum?" He asked.

"You recognize this guy from his swimming style. He looks like a tiger I saw once in a zoo who had been in his enclosure a bit too long if you know what I mean…" Danny snarked.

"Thomas is a former SEAL."

"Another one?" Danny remarked… "Lord, how many of them do we have on this godforsaken rock?"

"Rather a strong Navy and former Navy presence here, Dan-O." Steve retorted, in even tones. "Hey, there's talking…raise the audio and start it over." Clearly, the Five-O leader was still intrigued.

Ortega complied readily. Honestly, he'd been so intrigued by the video, he'd never listened to the audio himself.

*(*(*)*)*

The first thing the 5-0 members heard was a male voice saying, "He's going to do it."

_"That's Rick Wright…he was the door gunner for Thomas' team in Afghanistan," Steve remarked._

Another voice answered. "Oh, yeah. It's been a while since I've seen this particular trick."

_"That's TC…short for Theodore Calvin. He was the team's chopper pilot. Both him and Rick were Marines."_

The 5-0 team noticed the man who was swimming raise up in the water and plunge below the waves, still in the tidal pool area. They heard the voice that they could now all identify as Rick say, "He's going to breach…" It sounded as if Rick was anticipating something exciting, so almost everyone, except Steve leaned forward.

They heard a woman's voice say, "Breach? What? He's a man, not a bloody whale."

_Steve sounded extremely interested as he said, leaning forward, placing his hands on the edge of the computer table. "Oh, I've heard of this. Never seen it before, but I have heard of it."_

"_I saw it once," Junior offered, "never seen anything like it before or since."_

_Everyone shushed him,_ as they heard TC remark. "He's a unique SEAL, Jules."

Thomas came shooting out of the water, clearing the rock wall that separated the tidal pool from the open ocean and headed straight out to sea from the estate, his arms knifing through the water.

"How in the hell?" The woman's voice came again.

TC chuckled. "Must have been a really bad one," He remarked…from the slight camera shake it appeared the person filming might have nodded. The helicopter pilot continued. "Aquaman has nothing on our boy."

"Another day and age and he would have made a hell of a cliff diver in Acapulco – could have dined out on the tips from the fancy ladies." Rick's voice replied.

'Jules' voice protested. "We should have stopped him. His shoulder isn't even healed yet, the stitches…"

TC spoke calmingly. "Jules, if your head was in a bad place, would you have let someone stop you from doing Yoga?"

Rick turned the camera phone towards the woman, as she looked at TC, thoughtfully. TC went on. "The ocean is Thomas' yoga, Jules. It's his Zen place, his Chi, his balance, his peace…."

"Thomas needs that more than anything else right now." Rick finished the thought. "What do you think, TC? Do we need to go after him, or will he think to turn around halfway to exhausted?"

"Naw, he'll wear himself out and tread water, hoping for the best. Guess I better head to get the chopper."

"Or we could simply take Robin's boat out after him." Higgins offered.

"Really? Would you be okay with that?"

"I'll call for it." The woman agreed and the video ended.  
***(*(*)*)***

"That's it? I want to know what happened…did they retrieve the guy?" Tani asked.

"You don't know Rick or TC. One way or another, those boys would make sure they got Magnum home." Junior assured her.

Steve nodded in total agreement. "Absolutely, with what they survived by totally depending on each other, they would never let him down."

"Who are these people? A chopper, a boat….that place looks like a big estate." Danny sounded like he was warming up for a classic Danny rant.

Steve cut him off. "Thomas Sullivan Magnum lives on the estate of Robin Masters the author as his 'security' consultant. Seeing as Robin made his millions, or whatever he has now, off books written based loosely on actual adventures Thomas had while he was in military intelligence and the SEALs, that seems a fair trade to me. Higgins, also referred to here as 'Jules', is the majordomo of the estate. Thomas lives in the guest house on the estate."

"Okay, Steverino, since you seem to know all about these people," Danny said challengingly, "what's this 'must have been a bad one' that was being referred to?"

"Thomas, Rick, TC and another SEAL, Sebastian Nuzo, were prisoners of the Taliban held by them for 18 months and 11 days, until they managed to escape. Essentially, they rescued themselves and made their way back to their base, though it took them awhile. Thomas was seriously ill, but, naturally, the others wouldn't leave him behind, even though he begged them to. They made it back together." Steve explained.

Danny looked at him, stunned at what he had just revealed, remembering when Steve was held. "Sounds like hell on earth."

Junior nodded his head. "It was. I was shown a portion of the debrief that Nuzo and Magnum went through afterward during a part of my training. Thomas took most of the punishment, by design from what Nuzo said. Somehow he blamed himself for their capture - I never learned why. Nuzo swore none of the others blamed him, but Thomas worked really hard to make sure if someone was getting hit, it was him. If someone went to solitary, it was him. There was also a place called 'the hole' that he spent an awful lot of time in. He went through a helluva a lot, but he's still standing. To me, that makes him a helluva man."

"Well, said, Junior." Steve agreed. "So, Danny, to answer your original question, I would assume 'must have been a bad one' was referring to some sort of delayed stress nightmare or flashback. With all of that behind him, I think he's entitled to a few of those."

"Amen." Lou agreed. "Sounds like an amazing group of people."

"They are." Steve and Junior both stated firmly.

"And, back to your original question, Jerry…that was absolutely, positively, not faked video. Thomas happens to have a gift…so far as I know it's a technique he invented that I doubt anyone else does. Admirals have dined out on having him put on a show of that, but he finally got fed up with being trotted out like a trick pony and refused to do it on demand anymore. Lost him a cushy Washington duty when he put his foot down, but he didn't join the military to be put on display. He wanted to serve and was glad to get out there where a man like him belongs."

"So I gather if he is now a private investigator and 'security consultant' that he is no longer a SEAL."

Steve shook his head. "They were all medically discharged – during their captivity, they were fed a piss poor diet, kept in cages in caves and almost totally out of sunlight, especially Thomas. It kind of trashed their health, leaving them with permanent damage to the bones and recurrent bouts of illness and broken immune systems, but in another sense, Thomas will always be a SEAL. You can't take that away from him."

"Jerry, thank you for bringing that to us. Let's hit the paperwork, guys." Steve put a hand on Jerry's shoulder and steered him into his office. "I'd like a copy of that video, Jerry. I want to forward it to Chin Ho and Kono, though I will check with Adam, he might want to be the one to forward it to Kono."

In reply, Jerry handed him the thumb drive, saying. "I've got it on my computer still, you can have this."

"Thanks, pal."

A/N: I don't know if the timeframe works for Junior to have seen the debrief as part of his initial training, except that I know the military (at least the Air Farce) ARE videotaped and those tapes (DVD's?) are used in training. Additionally, I do know that SEALS always keep training as long as they are active duty, so it could work anyway. I think there will be one more segment of this where you will see why this section is called VIRAL VIDEO...though I expect y'all have already guessed.

A/N: The italics were used to identify added dialogue...and yes, guys, I know some of the quotes from previous writing are longer than the original story showed, so I will go back and fix that as soon as I can. Also, I hope I haven't written anyone too OOC here. This tiny crossover with Hawaii Five-O isn't going to change this to a Crossover, right moderators? I think I am good. One more segment to this I think.


	6. Restless Days and Restless Nights Ch 6

Restless Days and Restless Nights

***(*(*)*)***

VIRAL VIDEO  
***(*(*)*)*  
**Part 4 C  
***(*(*)*)***

About 40 minutes later, Jerry was back in his 'office'. He sent a copy of the file to Dr. Bergman, Dr. Cunha, and a few of his computer nerd friends. He included e-mail notes explaining the back story of how the video came to him, who it was and a quick summary of all he had learned from McGarrett. He also sent all the information to both Duke and Detective Katsumoto. He explained the tests that he had done, that as far as he could determine and prove the video was indeed totally genuine; he also added that Junior had personally witnessed the feat before and that Steve McGarrett knew admirals and generals who had seen it happen. It was genuine, totally.

Adam had sent an e-mail with the video to Kono. McGarrett had sent his to his network of fellow SEALs and former SEALS, to Chin Ho Kelly in San Francisco and so on and so on. It seemed each person in the office when they had first reviewed the video had thought of someone they wanted to show it to. Even Tani and Junior had sent copies out to many friends and acquaintances, but Steve McGarrett started laughing when Danny wandered into his office, sheepishly asking for a copy of the video to forward to Rachel, Grace, and Charlie. He also asked if Steve could arrange an introduction to Higgins as he thought Rachel might enjoy meeting another English ex-pat surviving in Oahu.

However, that evening, at home watching TV, McGarrett winced when the video showed up with commentary on both the local and the national news. He wasn't sure Thomas was going to appreciate his feat being carried on the news. Oh, boy. Time to apologize perhaps, as things seemed to have gotten out of hand. Steve was a bit concerned how Magnum might react if the news went and stuck a microphone in his face, asking him if he suffered from PTSD.

Steve started hunting around for the slip of paper with the Robin's Nest phone number. Suddenly it occurred to Steve that Magnum might have a webpage or something. No, why not just call either Rick at the King Kamehameha Club or TC at Island Hoppers? That might be a wiser approach. The number for Island Hoppers was actually on his fridge as he had put it up there when Mary had said she might come in for a week or two, so he took it and sat down with his phone and dialed the number.

"Island Hoppers, how may I help you?"

"Is this TC?"

"Well, well, well….what can Island Hoppers do for Steve McGarrett today?"

Steve smirked. "I was wondering if I could get Magnum's phone number from you."

"Depends, what do you need it for – he's still got some healing to do."

"Did he pull out stitches with his little stunt the other day?"

"Yeah, I heard you got a hold of the video from Katsumoto. Do we have you to thank for it going viral?"

"I think that was a combination of factors, TC, but I feel like I need to apologize to Thomas."

"Naw, he's not upset. Come on, you know Thomas. When the woman reporter got in his face asking if he was suffering from PTSD, he got a little upset, but he shook it off and advised her, rather politely, to please get the mike out of his face, as he did have a legal concealed carry permit, and he, in return, wouldn't ask her if she was crazy." TC chuckled. "At least the woman had the grace to blush. At that point, Thomas just shut the gate in her face and went back to the guest house."

"How far out did he get before you caught up to him?" McGarrett asked curiously.

"25 nautical miles according to Rick who was at the controls…and yeah, Rick had to put several stitches back in. I have a feeling his doctor is not going to be happy with him in a few days when he goes in to have the stitches removed to find ones in catgut instead of his neat little ones, but Thomas will set him straight. You know what he thinks of 'Doctor's Orders'. As I recall, you have a bit of the same attitude towards them."

"Actually, I've mellowed on that. Having to have a liver transplant cures you of that kind of defiance real fast."

"Damn, I didn't know about that." TC went on. "Anyway, poor Thomas was blindsided by the attention the video garnered because he didn't even know Rick had filmed him. He was surprised, but he didn't get mad. He's just Thomas, you know? If anything, he was a bit embarrassed but hid it by being all cocky."

"Yea, that sounds like Magnum. Still, mind if I get his number?"

"No, of course not. Surprised you don't have it."

"I do…somewhere around here."

TC gave him the number. "Have a good evening, McG."

"You, too, TC."

***(*(*)*)***

As soon as he got off the call with TC, McGarrett dialed the number for Magnum. "Thomas Magnum Private Investigations…"

"You sound tired, Magnum."

"Hey, McGarrett. How are you doing?"

"How am I doing? You're the one who swam 25 nautical miles out to sea the other day, after breaching a tidal wall, in spite of having a still-healing shoulder after being shot…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah –I keep hearing that from Rick, Higgins, TC and quite a few others. First, I think Rick exaggerated the distance; second, it's no big deal…still a free country and you know, whatever."

'Still, I never expected you to get harassed by the press about it…"

"So shared that video around after Katsumoto passed it to Ortega, huh? Don't worry about it, Mac. I actually have gotten some free advertising out of it and Higgins has the Dobermans growling at the press types if they get anywhere near the gate since the one caught me out at the mailbox. Of course, I don't know when the doctor is going to clear me to get back to work and Rick and TC are still kind of freaked about Hannah being on the Island, but it's all good."

"You are still too easy going, Thomas."

"You are still too tall, McG."

"Give me a break, Magnum; you are only what 4 inches shorter?"

"Yea, yea, but you look taller; for that matter so does TC."

"Optical illusion, T."

"Yea, yea, Big."

Steve laughed at the old nickname. "Okay, Small but Mighty." He flung his own nickname for TM at him and was rewarded with Thomas' rich laugh. "We have to get together one of these days."

"Sounds like a plan." Magnum yawned. "These antibiotics are kicking my posterior. Hitting the hay, earlier every night. Leave me tired all the time."

"You're still recovering, man. Cut yourself some slack. Besides, try anti-rejection meds…yuck."

"So what's it like having to regrow a liver from part of your partner's?"

"Oh, just a bundle of laughs."

"Yeah, brother, the only easy day…"

Together they finished the SEAL saying, "was yesterday."

"Good night, Thomas."

"Good night, Steven."

***(*(*)*)***

A/N: Well, this concludes Ch. 4 I think that wraps it up nicely. Next up, probably, Rick needs a little help from his friends. And please, note, I bobbled a bit on publishing Parts A & B, but they are all fixed now. Some adjustments and editing were needed. Changing to Daylight Savings always screws up my sleep cycle and I have been going on very little sleep for a while now. Hopefully, it will turn around soon. Still, I'm job hunting so if I get one, the pace of publishing will slow down. TTFN!


	7. Restless Days and Restless Nights Ch 7

Restless Days and Restless Nights Pt 7

"What Becomes _ _ _?"

By SPNHemelLassie

_This is set post BAD DAY TO BE A HERO __And is a Rick centric hurt/comfort story, because I think Rick's pain needed a little more compassion and caring from his friends…_

Rick sat at the bar of his friend's 'Bar and Grill'. He loved everything about this place. That it was a corny, schmaltzy, low-class dive bar – a place that Higgins would never set foot in. He loved the corny theme and he loved the Viet Nam vet, also named Rick, who ran the place. Hell, he even loved the name, taken from an old Bogart movie he'd loved as a kid - Rick's Café Americana. Yeah, this was his kind of dive, alright. Plus, it was a place where ordinarily Thomas and TC would never set foot in, so he was free to feel all his feelings and just be depressed and low without them trying to cheer him up right away. Sometimes a guy had a right to be blue and feel the whole pageant of feelings that go with that, RIGHT? The former Marine gunner nodded to himself, vigorously. And he had taken the bus here, so he was definitely taking an UBER home because he had had a few drinks already and he was nowhere near done!

He was enjoying his misery just fine, all by himself, when someone came in, sat at the dusty piano behind him. Sam, the piano player, had disappeared during the last financial downtown; and, now a Jukebox filled his role. But the piano remained, though mainly as a dust catcher these days. It fit in with the décor though so, why quibble? After facetiously clearing off the keys with a rather large size man's handkerchief, this mystery individual tested a couple of keys, and then he began to play. The song wasn't from the right time frame, but, definitely, the very right mood for the occasion. How did this guy know?

It was seconds into the intro when Rick realized something was rotten in Honolulu. He knew that playing style; and, he would bet any money he knew the player, too. Still, two could play this game, so he resolutely kept his back to the piano. He had excellent peripheral vision and he could make out enough of the back of the guy's head to KNOW he was right about who the mystery piano player was. Brat! Couldn't let a guy wallow in his misery in peace for even one bloody night, could he? Still, he liked the song, so he relaxed, determined to enjoy his solitude as long as T would let him.

Now two, no, three more guys filed in and joined his friend at the piano. Wait – how did Katsumoto get involved again? Oh, boy! This should be interesting.

Thomas played the intro to a song, and then TC began the bass line doo-wop with Shammy interweaving a harmonizing line. Magnum began singing the words. His voice had a sweet, plaintive sound to it, but Rick knew all too well that the pain in that voice was born from plenty of real-life experience with pain and sorrow and when Katsumoto's voice blended with TM's, TC's and Shammy's on the chorus the music was so achingly poignant, it almost hurt, and Rick knew that TM knew exactly the pain he was singing about. The song started out….

"As I walk this land of broken dreams…I have visions of many things, but happiness is just an illusion, filled with sadness and confusion.

"What becomes of the broken-hearted, who had love that's now departed?..."

"The roots of love grow all around,…but for me they come a-tumblin' down…Every day, heartaches grow a little stronger, I can't stand this pain much longer…"

Magnum's sorrows had been many and diverse. His father lost when he was 6, his Father's parents just a few years later – one after another. His mother when she remarried a man who didn't want kids who immediately on return from the 'happy couple's' honeymoon had sent Thomas away to one boarding school after another and made sure he and his wife were never home at Christmas and for other school breaks, so Magnum would have to stay at school. Then, each summer, Thomas was sent away to enrichment programs and summer camps but never allowed back to his family home. By the 2nd year, the birthday and Christmas cards TM received weren't even in his mom's handwriting anymore. Rick knew Thomas had felt abandoned by his mother and wondered what HE had done wrong to get sent away. That was part of the reason he would refer to the elite schools he was sent to as 'reform schools' Even then life trained him, it was somehow all HIS fault. His girlfriend from high school age had died of a brain tumor the third year they had been dating – died in the teenage Magnum's arms. It had been a slow, painful decline, but he had stayed by her side through it all.

Friends he had lost in the military including one of his roommates at the Naval Academy who had slit his own throat and Thomas had walked in on him while he was still bleeding out. Rick vividly remembered the awful night Magnum had related that story after drinking a couple too many beers – something that had never been repeated. Thomas did not like to lose control in such a way and had apologized repeatedly to all of them for having shared that story. Nuzo, TC, and Rick had just wished there could be some way to take that awful memory out of the poor guy's mind.

His mom came back into his life after her 2nd husband Frank had died just before TM went to Bud/s training. She had expected to resume the same relationship with her son she had enjoyed before Frank came along, but Rick knew they had always had a strained and awkward relationship after Frank; right up until TM found out she was terminally ill. Then he had lost her while they were in captivity, so no resolution to the strain on the relationship. And, of course, the pain dealt by Hannah followed by the pain he took on by blaming himself for all of their situations- being captured he felt BECAUSE of him. So Thomas sang this song from far too much experience.

Rick sighed, thinking, and he thought he had a right to the miseries? Sure, his parents had divorced when he was a kid, so he had experience with the bitter dregs of life, as well, but at least he had Ice Pick. He spun around on his bar stool to watch and caught sight of the look on TC's face as he gently patted Thomas on the shoulder as the man played. The ache in TM's voice made Rick's own throat hurt in sympathy.

As the foursome finished up the song, Rick couldn't resist. He hollered, "Play it again, Sam!" Magnum shook his head but called out. "Anyone else mind if we do?" When silence was the response, they started it over. This time Rick got up from his barstool after finishing his beer and ambled over to drape his arms around Thomas' shoulders and give him a supportive hug. As the 2nd time around wound to a close, Rick found he was thinking of the words to a completely different song.

"I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style…"

Rick impishly leaned forward and whispered those words in Thomas' ear. TM's lips quirked into an amused grin, but he immediately launched into the intro to that song on the piano and began to sing the words at the appropriate place, starting with the lines Rick had whispered to him…

"I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style  
And so I came to see him, to listen for a while  
And there he was, this young boy, a stranger to my eyes

Strumming my pain with his fingers  
Singing my life with his words  
Killing me softly with his song  
Killing me softly with his song  
Telling my whole life with his words  
Killing me softly with his song

I felt all flushed with fever, embarrassed by the crowd  
I felt he'd found my letters and read each one out loud  
I prayed that he would finish, but he just kept right on

Strumming my pain with his fingers  
Singing my life with his words  
Killing me softly with his song  
Killing me softly with his song  
Telling my whole life with his words  
Killing me softly…."

Thomas chuckled looking up at Rick and, fluttering his eyelashes at him, he went into a new song, "Don't wish it away, Don't look at it like it's forever, Between you and me I could honestly say  
That things can only get better

And while I'm away, Dust out the demons inside, And it won't be long before you and me run, To the place in our hearts where we hide

And I guess that's why they call it the blues  
Time on my hands could be time spent with you  
Laughing like children, living like lovers  
Rolling like thunder under the covers  
And I guess that's why they call it the blues…"

As Magnum finished the song, Rick, the business owner, called out, "One more time, kid…."

Magnum looked at his Rick and mouthed… "Kid?" but he obliged and sang the song one last time. The bar had been pretty much empty when Magnum and the guys had come in, but now it was almost full and Magnum blushed a bright red when catcalls, whistles, and applause filled the air as the impromptu group finished up. However, good-naturedly, he stood beside the piano stool and bowed in three directions than quietly headed for the door. The owner, Rick, caught him just inside the door and shoved a wad of cash into his pocket while trying to hire him for a regular gig. Thomas just laughed it off and gently took his Rick's elbow and guided him out the door, replying to the other Rick, thank you, but he was a private investigator and that was his career path. To which the other Rick had cried out. "Not another freaking PI!"

Once they were out the door, Thomas anxiously asked Rick Wright. "Are you okay, Rick? We didn't make it worse, did we?"

"What was it you told me a long time ago, Thomas? You said you can't really stay sad when you sing the blues? I sang along on those last couple of songs…and I really do feel much better." Rick looked around at the gathering of his friends and said, "…Thanks, you guys. I appreciate you all taking the time, especially you, Shammy, Detective." He shook the wheelchair-bound man and the detective's hands, and Magnum followed right behind him, quietly adding his thanks as he split the cash he'd been handed so that each of them got an equal share. Thomas reached over and grabbed Wright by the neck as the man was pulling out the phone to call UBER, saying, "Forget that, Rick! TC and I are taking you back to your place. We're having a sleepover tonight, buddy, and I'll make my famous pancakes in the morning with blueberries for TC and strawberries for you. The fruit is in the cooler on ice. So, are you ready to go?"

Rick chuckled, "Serenaded, a sleepover AND your pancakes – Score!" Rick nodded his acceptance, grateful for his friends who hadn't left him to wallow alone. They always seemed to know what each other needed.

Just before he left, Katsumoto stepped up to Rick and said, "I think you can call me Gordon at this point, Rick. Sorry about your girl…"

"Yeah, me, too, but I'll get over it, eventually. Thanks again, Gordon."

The detective waved as he walked to his car to head home.

The three remaining friends followed Shammy as he got into his car and Thomas promised to send pancakes to Shammy with TC in the morning. Shammy thanked him and said. "Don't do this too often, Thomas, I'll get too fat for my wheels! Though I do appreciate your cooking, brother!"

"Uh-uh, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, Shammy, so my mom always said those calories don't count!" Magnum replied with a smile. "Have a good evening, brother."

"I'll be dreaming of those pancakes!" Shammy replied with a smile.

A/N: I can't resist whumping Thomas even when the story centers on Rick, can I? Sorry guys, the next Wright one I'll try to do better.


	8. Restless Days and Restless Nights Ch 8

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
*(*(*)*)*

Ch. 8  
*(*(*)*)*

Photographs and Memories Pt 1

*(*(*)*)*

Rick shot up his bed, crying out, "Thomas!" He angrily swiped the tears from his eyes, followed immediately, by a shudder at the memories he'd just revisited in his nightmare.

God, what had triggered that particular memory? He despised that memory with a passion. Oh, now he remembered what triggered it. Well, shit on a shingle...time for a midnight visit to Magnum...why wouldn't Thomas ever just admit when he needed a helping hand? Rick knew he wasn't going back to sleep anyway, so he got up and dressed quickly. Grabbing his go bag, he went into the bathroom and washed his face then grabbed the 'special liniment' Shammy had given him to try, made sure the lid was on tight and added it to his go bag. Slinging the bag's strap over his shoulder, he headed out to his car in the parking lot to get going. He thought about giving TC a call, but decided this was his penance to pay, so why disturb the big guy? He had a tour at sunrise tomorrow.

That thought resolved, Rick slung the go bag into the backseat of his Porsche and began the drive to Thomas' place. Hopefully, he could get to the guest house without Higgy noticing...she didn't have to know every time he was there, did she? That's why he and TC each had their own codes. He drove towards Robin's Nest just over the speed limit until he escaped the city confines. Once out on the H3, he floored it. He'd pay the damn ticket if they caught him. He needed to get there and see just how much damage Thomas had actually done to himself this time. The needle on the speedometer crept up as he drove along the road.  
*(*(*)*)*

Earlier the same evening...at Robin's Nest

*(*(*)*)*

Magnum ambled out of the guest house, hands in the pockets of his swim shorts, whistling an off-key tune.

"Magnum, where are you going?" Higgins's voice, rather stridently, demanded.

Thomas paused in mid-step and turned towards the main house, reluctantly walking towards Higgins who was quick stepping towards him. They met in the middle. Kumu was behind her, making warning faces that seemed to indicate 'Don't rile her up; she is not in a good mood.'

"I'm heading out to go swimming, Higgy," Thomas replied in a calming voice.

"It's rather late for that, surely."

"Higgins, I've gone swimming in total darkness before and it's a good hour before sunset. I won't be gone long."

"Pardon me, if I am not certain, I believe that. I've known you to bloody well be out there three hours on your little swims. You are recovering from a concussion. I don't think you should go swimming without a swim buddy."

"Look, MOM, I'm a big boy...and a former Navy Seal. I have gone swimming with gunshot wounds, with concussions far worse and far fresher than the little knock on the head I got the other day, with broken limbs. I can handle myself out there." Magnum was getting a bit irate.

"Thomas, I'm merely concerned. Wait a moment. Why are you holding your shoulder so funny?"

"Huh? I'm not. I got hit in my head, not my..."

Juliet reached out and squeezed his shoulder and TM dropped to his knees, his face contorted in pain. She looked down at him. "You were saying?"

"Damn, Higgy...what the hell?"

She bent over and helped him up grabbing the other shoulder. "Come over here, right now!" She took him to a nearby lounge chair and pushed him down onto it. "Now, off with your shirt."

"We haven't even dated yet, Higgy." Kumu mimed slapping her own face and then his...mouthing, "Don't make her angry, you won't like her when she's angry." Thomas couldn't help the smirk that tugged at his lips.

Higgins slapped the back of his head lightly. Thankfully she missed the still tender part back there. "This isn't funny. Shirt! Off, now!"

"Okay, okay..." Thomas realized she wasn't going to take no for an answer and began unbuttoning his shirt. His shoulder really did hurt. He hadn't noticed it before this. What was going on? It was where his old injury from the camps was. Why was that acting up? He heard a horrified gasp from Higgins. "What, what's wrong, Higgins?" He started to turn his head to try and see what she was staring at so aghast, but she pushed his head back facing forward.

"What in the bloody hell did you do to yourself here?" The woman demanded.

"What are you talking about?" He again tried to turn his head, but Juliet grabbed both sides of his head and said. "Face forward, Magnum, damn it. Did you get this when you got hit on the back of the head?"

Thomas rolled his eyes and retorted testily. "As I haven't the foggiest idea what you are talking about, I can't really answer that question, now can I? However, so far as I know, the shovel hit me right in the back of my head, there was no other impact, but really, you would have to ask the kid who hit me as I was unconscious at the time."

"Kumu, would you please get me an ice pack?"

"You've got it. Be right back."

Magnum heaved a very put upon sigh. "What's the ice pack for? As we are talking about my body, I would like to know what you are seeing, please."

Juliet sighed. "You are definitely NOT going swimming this evening, Thomas. You have a massive bruise back here and your shoulder is extremely swollen. I think you need x-rays."

"What? No way...I'll swim it off. I am not going to the ER, Jules...it isn't needed."

"Will you bloody well listen to me for once, Magnum? I think something may be broken in here."

"Higgins, I think I would know if I broke my shoulder. I probably just aggravated an old injury I have in that area."

"The bruise indicates an injury, probably blunt force. The coloration tells me it is about as old as your concussion. I think the man must have hit you more than just once. Did Katsumoto take you to the ER after that happened?"

"No. I didn't think I needed it."

"Did he even examine you?"

"Why would he examine me? He's a detective, not a doctor." Magnum replied. "Jules, I'll be fine. Let me go back to my original plan and take a swim."

"Like hell, I will allow that to happen. This has to be hurting, Thomas." As Kumu handed her the ice pack wrapped in a dish towel, Higgins slapped it onto his shoulder, causing the man to jump though her hand on his other shoulder kept him seated. "You are staying right there for the time being if I have to restrain you." She realized she had said the wrong thing when she saw how pale he became. She walked around in front of this difficult man and knelt before him. "Thomas, I'm sorry, but I am genuinely concerned here. I must insist..."

Magnum shook his head. "Jules, I appreciate your concern, but it can't be that bad. I rowed this morning and, yeah, it twinged a bit, but not that bad. So it can't be broken again...I'd know."

"Again?" Kumu asked.

Magnum shrugged with his other shoulder. "It wasn't my shoulder but the...aw, I can't remember the name of it...the bone that runs from your neck to your shoulder got snapped by an AK-47 butt when we were in captivity. The scapula was broken, too. I remember the pain from that time and this is nowhere near as bad as that was."

"Perhaps you have built up a higher pain tolerance because of your time in the camps." Juliet offered, hesitantly.

"I don't think so," Thomas sighed. "If anything, I'm more of a wuss than I was back then."

"I don't believe that for a moment, Magnum," Higgins said seriously.

"This, from the woman who told me to man up after I was hit by a car?"

"You had scared me, Thomas...I tend to snap things out when I am frightened. I don't like being frightened, it makes me ..."

"Grumpy? Good to know." Thomas smiled at her. "Is there any way I can see what is going on with my shoulder here?"

Kumu silently handed Higgins two hand mirrors of the type hairstylists use to show you your haircut when it's done. Juliet smiled at the older woman. "I'll show you once that ice bag has been on for 20 minutes and not a moment sooner. Alright?" Her tone had become very conciliatory.

Magnum nodded. "Okay, Higgins. I'll be good. Do you have any ice cream?"

Higgins chuckled. "Ice cream, not a lollipop?"

Kumu offered. "A bowl of vanilla ice cream coming up, Thomas. Juliet, you want any?"

"I'll have a small bowl, please, Kumu."

As the older woman turned to go get the treats, Magnum called out. "Thank you, Kumu."

Thomas slowly tried to stretch without moving the injured side too much. "This is why I wanted to swim...I'm getting stiff."

"I shouldn't wonder...you were coshed on the head and fell to the ground, you probably have more than a few bruises to go with the spectacular one here on your shoulder. Thomas, you really need to take better care of yourself. Why in the hell didn't you go to the hospital after you were knocked out?"

Magnum shrugged, both shoulders, but reaching up with his right hand to hold the ice pack in place on his shoulder. "I was on a case...and it was important to Katsumoto. I really didn't think it was that bad."

Juliet sighed... "And I rest my case. I swear you need a keeper, Magnum."

"I'll second that emotion. What's with the ice on your shoulder, Thomas?" Detective Katsumoto asked as he came up the path from the gate.

Silently, Higgins lifted up the ice pack and showed the man Magnum's shoulder. "What in the hell - Thomas, you didn't tell me he hit you in your shoulder, too?

"God, everybody is going to see MY shoulder before I do."

Juliet glanced at her watch. "Just a few more minutes, Magnum."

Katsumoto gave a grumpy huff. "That's it. You are going to the ER - that looks awful."

"My body, my choice...and I say..."

Juliet, Gordon, and Kumu all said together, "You're fine."

"Yeah, Magnum, you are always fine. Your leg could be hanging on one thin strip of muscle, completely torn off otherwise, and you would still say you were bloody well, fine!" Higgins was seriously fed up.

Katsumoto made the mistake of cracking up at that line. Higgins did not look happy at that. Kumu handed Higgins and Magnum their ice cream and immediately asked the Detective. "Would you like some vanilla ice cream or water or something?"

Katsumoto smiled at the older woman and said. "Thank you, Kumu, but no. I just had dinner a while ago. I came by because, Thomas, Mrs. Tak would like you to come to the house on Saturday. Would you be okay with that?"

"Me? Why would she want me to come?"

"After you and Higgins came to the internment, she started asking a lot more questions about who you were, how I knew you...she really appreciates you helping me out on this case and she wants to get to know you."

Thomas blushed. "I don't know, Detective. The credit and stuff should go to you, I didn't..."

The detective snorted. "Forget it, Magnum. You are coming unless you wind up in the hospital with that shoulder."

"Oh for cry-aye! It's ..."

"not that bad!" The other three chimed in together.

"You can't see it, Magnum. It is that bad." Katsumoto advised him seriously. "Look, I'll pay if that's your issue..."

"It's not that," Magnum sighed. "They'll want to do surgery if I get an X-ray. I don't want that. I have an old injury there that didn't heal right from when I was in the camps; when I was a prisoner of the Taliban, but it would be weeks before I could get back to life, and I'm not going for it. I can't...it would be like being back there. I can't do it. NO!" He stood up and walked away. Juliet sighed and followed him, taking the empty ice cream bowl out of his hand.

"Thomas..." She said, gently.

He just shook his head and turned and went into the guest house, slamming the door, and she heard the lock click into place. She sighed and walked back to where the detective stood frowning. As she drew near, he asked her. "Is he alright?"

"I think he's a bit triggered by this injury, Detective."

"Call me Gordon. Do we need to call the guys?"

"Probably, but I don't think he'd be very receptive right now. He was at the King Kamehameha Club earlier, and, if I know those two, they noticed enough that they will show up on their own at some point during the night."

"What? Are they psychic?" The detective asked.

"They are something. He'll be having night terrors and they show up before we even call them. Those three know each other in a way that is almost beyond comprehension...and they must have subtle tells that they each pick up on. It isn't one sided either - them taking care of him, you know? He knows when Rick is having a rough time."

"Oh, I've been in on that, just recently."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'll tell you that story another time. If they or you manage to talk him around to going to the ER, give me a call, okay? That injury is my responsibility. It looks really gnarly...I don't like that he won't go."

"Neither do I, but he is an adult."

"Yeah, well he's acting juvenile." Katsumoto snapped. "Sorry, he's just kind of got me worried. What if the concussion is worse than he thinks, too?"

Higgins sighed. "That thought had occurred to me as well. Let's not go borrowing trouble, Gordon. Sufficient unto the day..."

"Are the troubles thereof." The detective finished. "My auntie used to say that all the time." He smiled... "is it, Shakespeare?"

"The Bible actually...I believe it is from the Sermon On The Mount...Matthew 6:34...if I remember correctly."

"I didn't think you were the religious type."

"Oh, I'm not, but in my day, in English school, we got religious education as a part of our schooling. You see the Queen, in those days was - technically still, is Defender of the Faith. So we never had the complete separation of church and state that you have here in the states. Religion was taught in schools back when I was young. Now, they say if Charles ever makes it to the throne, he will be sworn in as Defender of Faith, not Defender of THE Faith. As Britain is much more multi-faith and multi-cultural these days, I don't know what they teach in school now...comparative religion?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea, Higgins. Back to Thomas, I really am worried. I feel responsible."

"He wouldn't want you to, you know. He'd say it's his choice."

Gordon frowned. "Not on my watch...he got hurt helping me. He didn't have to be there."

Juliet laughed. "Of course he did. There was a mystery to be solved. The man can't resist a puzzle. He even finished a jigsaw puzzle I had planned on working on for the next few weeks while I was out with Kumu at a function last week, a thousand piece puzzle. Although to be fair he bought me a replacement the next day and apologized."

"Wait. He actually paid for something?"

"Yes, Gordon. He does manage to pay for things occasionally." They smiled at each other.

Katsumoto shook his head, musing aloud. "Thomas Magnum is really something else, isn't he?"

Higgins smiled and looked towards the guest house. "He truly is - special in his own unique way, our White Knight. I'm still only beginning to get to know him, but he does grow on you."

The detective wrinkled his nose. "He's an acquired taste, but he does grow on you, like a fungus."

"And he's come through for both of us a time or two now, hasn't he?"

"Him and Rick and TC,…yes, they have."

"They are a matched set." Juliet agreed.

"You have my number?"

"It's in my phone."

"Call me whatever time it is, if someone convinces him to go to the hospital, okay?"

"You've got it, Detective Katsumoto."

"Thanks, Higgins. Good night, ladies." The detective turned and left. His car was parked outside the gate and Higgins opened the gate as he approached it.

"We never did show Thomas his shoulder…" Kumu pointed out.

"The stubborn fool lumbered off before I could."

To be continued…

A/N: At least one person has already seen and reviewed this. I wrote it today starting while I was up in El Dorado Hills, CA to see the movie, APOLLO 11. If you haven't seen it, I urge you to go and see it. It is much more than the old footage we have seen on History Channel and really excellent. I used to work on The USS Hornet, a retired Aircraft Carrier/museum down in the Bay area. I was one of many who actually helped save it from the scrapper's torch. The USS Hornet picked up Apollo 11 when they got back from going to the moon. My father also worked on the Apollo project in a distant, but vital way. He got to go to NASA before the rocket was assembled...he was a technical writer and wrote the technical manuals for the camera equipment that went to the moon. So between the connection to my Dad, long dead now...and my connection to the ship (when I was first aboard her after she was saved, my first job I was trained for was to deliver the safety briefing. Myself and my friend, Diana, were also trained to be the Apollo specialists to give folks tours of the Apollo exhibits on the ship and actually got to go inside the MQF on the ship with Buzz Aldrin, more than once. It was great to see that movie today. Well, night all...I am already writing the next section of this in my mind. Hope you all enjoy this first part.


	9. Restless Days and Restless Nights Ch 9

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
*(*(*)*)*

Ch. 8  
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Photographs and Memories Pt 2

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TC tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. He couldn't do it. He could NOT fall asleep. The arms of Morpheus just would not open for him tonight, no matter what he tried. He'd counted three whole herds of sheep…and they were big assed herds, too. He'd taken Valerian Root, as disgusting as it smelled. He tried Benadryl. Nothing was working. He'd paced in his damn Airstream, but the neat little trailer was just too small for a man like him to wear out by pacing it. He'd gone outside and gone for jog around his area. No, go. What was the matter with him? Insomnia wasn't usually his bag. That was more a Rick or Thomas thing, not him. Ah, screw it.

Finally resigned to doing an early morning tour with no previous night's sleep, Theodore got himself out of bed and flipped on the light's in the unit's kitchen area. He started to make himself a cup of Rooibos tea. It was way too early for coffee. As he pictured Thomas' reaction to the thought of it EVER being too early for coffee, suddenly a very different image snapped clearly into his mind's eye. He paused in the midst of his efforts.

Well, crap on a cracker…that's why he couldn't sleep! The vividness of the dual memories made the sweat bead on his forehead and run down the side of his face. What had that boy gone and done to himself now?

They'd had a very cozy evening at the King K club last night, him and his two buddies, but his mind's eye had picked up on something his conscious brain hadn't because now he could clearly recall that Thomas had had pain lines etched on his face…subtle, but there. And he'd been holding his shoulder funny the whole time and moving awkwardly. 'Guarding' was the medical term for it, Theodore recalled. It was TM's bad shoulder, too. The one that had never been right ever since the camps, ever since Thomas had intervened when a guard tried to hit Rick in the back of the head with the steel butt of an AK-47, moving so fast Thomas was just a blur as he interposed himself between the guard's raised, swinging weapon and the back of Rick's head as Rick rocked, braying like a damn donkey in laughter at the story Thomas had been telling. The full weight of the blow had hit Thomas midway in the back between his neck and his shoulder and they had all heard the bone snap from the impact. Thomas hadn't made a sound, just slumped against the bars of their cage for a moment…then for good measure, the guard had kicked him repeatedly in his kidneys before stomping out of their area still swearing back and forth in Dari and Pashto. Thomas was naturally a nice shade of brown, but his color had absolutely been gray, as he forced himself back upright, put his left hand inside his shirt between two buttons, so he looked like a Hispanic take on Napoleon Bonaparte and assured Rick and TC that he was fine before he went and sat on the edge of the fire pit in the open area that he and Nuzo were bivouacked in.

TC had seen the horror on Rick's face at what had just happened. His frantic cries for Thomas to get his ass back over here and let him see the damage (which was, of course, the exact opposite of what TM was EVER going to do). Thomas softly calling back. "I'm fine, Riki Tiki Tavi. Chill, dude."

"Oh, God…it's my fault." Rick had cried out.

"No,…no, it's not. It's my own fault. I knew what I was doing, Rick. That same guard killed a guy the last time they put me in the hole, that same way…swinging his AK at a guy's head when the guy had his back turned. Clean bashed his skull in… Do you really think I would let him kill you like that, my friend? If so, you really don't know me at all." Thomas had managed a smile towards Rick and TC. "I'll be…"

Rick, Nuzo, and TC all rolled their eyes and said, "Fine!" in unison.

But Thomas had not been fine…he'd been in pain, though he never cried or complained. He couldn't eat…when he tried he would vomit again and again. Nuzo had a hell of a time even keeping him hydrated. His decline had been steady and awful to observe from within their cages. He'd lost weight until he looked as emaciated as an Auschwitz survivor. Then he got a stomach bug and things really got hairy. Eventually, he'd turned a corner and started to improve, gradually resuming eating, but his shoulder had never healed properly. Thomas had shrugged the whole thing off like he did everything that happened to him in that hellhole. But TC knew Rick was having nightmares tonight if he'd picked up on the same subtle signs he had. And, Calvin was absolutely certain that Rick had…and was probably heading over to TM's right now.

Taking four bags of the Roobios, he put them in a plastic bag, grabbed his go bag, and tossed the Roobios in it, got the phone number of the couple for that early morning tour (just in case he told himself) he went and took a quick boat shower, got himself dressed and grabbing his go bag on the way out the door, locked up behind himself, went to get in his van and head for Robin's nest. As he drove away from his place, he floored it.

Honestly, why couldn't Thomas just tell them when he was in trouble? It would make life a hell of a lot less complicated; yeah, but more boring too! TC snorted as he drove, wishing he'd left a long time ago. He had two friends hurting right now because he knew the guilt would be eating Orville up all over again. Shit to shinola…he'd better book it.  
*(*(*)*)*

Along the road, Theodore Calvin had noticed Rick's car pulled over to the side of the highway. He'd pulled up behind it on the shoulder and made his way up to the driver's side, rapping on the window. Rick had turned and looked surprised to see him, tears still streaming down his face. TC mimed rolling down the window, to which Rick shook his head, pointed to the other side of the car, reached over and unlocked that door. Well, the kid was right. Standing on the driver's side of the highway wasn't exactly safe, so TC went around the other side, opened the door and sat next to his friend. "You saw it too, didn't you?" He asked as he heaved his way down into the sports car.

"Took a while to sink into my thick head, but yeah. Tommy's got something wrong with his bad shoulder. It was more than just a concussion that kid dealt him. Damn it, TC…his bad shoulder."

Calvin shook his head at the predictability of Rick's reaction. "Rick, I don't think Thomas even realizes it himself, damn compartmentalization they teach SEALS. You know that boy isn't good at listening to what his body is telling him. He wanted to help Katsumoto…what the detective was going through stirred up memories of Nuzo all over again."

"Yeah, stirred them up, as if they ever settle down." Rick groused.

"And when Thomas is determined to help a friend ain't no thing going to stop him…you know this, Rick. It's in the boy's nature."

"Yeah, everybody else first and himself last, if at all."

"Feeling guilty isn't going to do you or HIM any good, Rick. Pull yourself together, buddy, and let's go help our boy, okay?"

"Yeah, patch him up just enough to hold him together until the next time…you know damn well he's not going to let the doctors really fix him up this time. He's needed surgery ever since Afghanistan, but he won't go for it. Stupid nudge!"

"Oh, boy, the Yiddish is starting in. But, if I remember that word's meaning correctly, isn't TM kind of the opposite of a nudge?"

Rick just stuck his tongue out at him. "Distraction technique helped a little. Okay, …thanks. I think I can make it there now. Go get in your van and let's get over there before he does something else to his stupid self!"

TC chuckled. "You got it, Orville. You start out and I'll be right behind you." The two resumed their separate journeys to the estate, but TC followed behind Wright all the way, concerned he might get overwhelmed again. Before Rick could punch in his code, the gate swung open and stayed open for long enough that they were both able to pull into the estate and park behind the Ferrari Magnum drove. As they emerged from their respective vehicles, they were greeted by the majordomo who looked way too together for the time of night it was. "Gents, we need to talk…"

Rick shook his head. "No, Thomas needs…"

"This is about what Thomas needs…" The woman insisted, gesturing towards the main house.

The two men looked at each other, sighed, and headed into the main house.

As soon as they were inside the main house, Higgins exploded. "Why is that man so damn clueless when it comes to his own health?"

Rick laughed outright. "So, I gather you've seen his shoulder? Care to share?"

"As a matter of fact, thanks to quick thinking from Kumu, I can do that." Juliet pounced on her phone, flipped through a few photos and turned it so Rick and TC could see the mess Thomas had made of his left shoulder.

TC winced and made a face. "Oh, man! I can NOT unsee that. What in the fresh hells did he do to himself?"

"Oh, yes…lovely view, isn't it? Yet I had to practically sit on him to keep him from going for one of his three hours swims last evening…and he rowed with the damn thing in that shape yesterday morning! He hasn't got the sense God gave a mongoose." Clearly, Higgy was at the end of her rope. "Even the combined efforts of myself, Kumu and Detective Katsumoto could not persuade the man to go to the Emergency Room. He palmed off some nonsense about he couldn't be out of circulation as long as it would take them to repair his shoulder if they x-rayed it. The man is NOT that in demand, for pity's sake. The detective even offered to foot the bill for his medical care, but he said he'd just…"

"Swim it off…" Rick stated.

"Work it off…" TC chimed in at almost exactly the same time.

"Precisely…why is he so….so…" Juliet sputtered.

"Frustrating? Difficult? A twit full of twaddle?"

"The last, thank you, Orville." The woman finally ran out of steam and sat behind the desk. "He needs care, but I'll be damned if he will accept it."

"Oh, he'll accept it from us, or we'll sit on him until he does," Calvin stated grimly. "Now, if you will excuse us, lovely lady…we will get over there and tend to our boy."

"Yes, fine…if you need anything at all, just give a holler. Clearly, I shan't be getting any rest until we resolve this somehow!" Juliet waved them on their way again.

"Man," Rick commented as they walked to the guest house, speaking in a quiet low pitched voice that would not carry through walls, a skill learned long ago in less friendly environs than the estate, "she has definitely been bitten by the Magnum bug."

TC replied by humming a few bars of the Genesis classic song, INVISIBLE TOUCH.

Rick chuckled in response.

A/N: The word above is pronounced 'Noodge' but spelled (to the best of my recollection) as 'nudge'. If you aren't familiar with Yiddish, look it up on the Web here. I grew up in Chi-town(Chicago, for the uninformed)...just like the OG Rick and almost everyone in Chi-town knows at least a little Yiddish. Words like schmaltz, nudge, meshuggeneh, are all a part of your natural lingo when you grow up there. I think this is also true of New York, for sure, as I had a friend who was a big New Yorker, but she understood my Yiddish perfectly! Is this Rick Wright of the current Magnum also from Chi-town...well as far as I am concerned he is. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

I know, I know...I need to work on JUST A SIMPLE EXCHANGE, but darn it Rick and TC were just insisting I write this one down first, yesterday. I just can't resist the guys when they beg like that. And Thomas was in the background, rolling his eyes and mouthing... "It's not that big of a deal!"  
Today, the 18th of March...my hubby and I drove over to the Hwy 50 side of Sacramento to drive up to Placerville in Gold Country here in Northern California. The weather was predicted to be 'sunny and fine with temps in the Mid-70's' so we decided to drive up to Placerville and from Placerville (aka Old Hangtown) and from there to Coloma where, in 1849, Gold was discovered in the mill-trace of Sutter's Mill. Hence started the westward mass migration known as the California Gold Rush which called many from all over the world to the 'Goldfields' of Northern California. We started the day by wandering about Placerville while Randy (my hubby) videotaped the Gold Rush town of Placerville...and we both realized, while we often go to the Gold Rush town of Auburn (which is on I-80 on our side of Sacramento), we had never just walked around Placerville...either one of us. That is really something, when you consider that Randy was born and raised on the Hangtown side of Sacramento (South Sac) and we used to go up to Lake Tahoe by way of Placerville all the freaking time - saw the Carpenters, Olivia Newton-John, Glen Campbell, Mac Davis, John Denver who used to put on a ski tournament up there every winter, David Copperfield...so many big stars up at Harrah's Tahoe (a Casino). Randy's mom and Dad were big gamblers so we would often on impulse go up even on Christmas Eve to see a show and spend the night. Going to Coloma (Gold Discovery site) is kind of a springtime tradition for us, once the hardest rains and freezes have passed (well, really, once the sun shines long enough and warm enough to justify shirtsleeves) we head up that way. Today it is going to meet or surpass 75, so that is definitely shirtsleeve weather! It truly was a beautiful day, but I think I bloody well sunburned my face. Ouch! I mean to write tonight, but we'll see how well I do if my face is going to keep hurting as much as it is right now. Yeaow!


	10. Restless Days and Restless Nights Ch 10

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
*(*(*)*)*

Ch. 8  
*(*(*)*)*

Photographs and Memories Pt 3

*(*(*)*)*

Thomas woke up to the low sound of conversation. Male voices…oh, great – now Higgins had sicced the guys on him? That woman just would NOT quit. It was the middle of the night…or was that early morning? He tried to go back to sleep, pulling the pillow over his head to muffle the soft voices, but soon gave it up as a lost cause. Facetiously he grabbed his robe, knowing the guys had often seen in him far less, but trying to dump his frustration with things before he faced them…slipped his feet into his boat shoes and padded down to the living room area of the guest house, saying sheepishly. "Hi, guys. You guys okay?"

"Are we okay, he asks?" Rick said, snidely. "Sure…just hunky-dorio until I woke from a damn nightmare remembering that night in the camps. Took a while, but the dime finally dropped that you were holding your arm funny at the King Kamehameha Club earlier, Thomas. I don't know, couldn't you just tell us when you do a number on yourself, hermano? For crying out loud!"

"Before you get all riled up, Rick, I really didn't realize it until Higgins squeezed my shoulder earlier to convince me I had a bit of a problem on my hands…or should I say on my shoulder? I just about passed out."

The big black Marine stood up, his fists clenching. "She did what? Damn, she sure didn't tell us that part."

Thomas shook his head, looking at the chopper pilot with obvious affection. "Stand down, Theodore, don't go all Rambo on her. She knew something was up, but not to what extent and she definitely didn't know about the prior injury. No harm, no foul."

Rick shook his head, having known Magnum would dismiss the action as inconsequential from the moment he had mentioned it. "Tommy, Tommy, Tommy…so why when the lovely lady, the HPD Detective and Kumu tried to get you to go to the ER, didn't you go to the damn hospital?"

"Rick…" Oh, damn. I'm whining, Thomas thought to himself. "You know I hate waiting in those waiting rooms and I already know they will want X-rays and when they see that one bone and my scapula they are going to want to do the surgery just like all the other docs I've seen. Most of the time it only bothers me when a rain storm is coming in or if I swim or row a bit too long, so I don't see why I need the damn surgery…and you know how I feel about getting locked up in some damn hospital. It's not happening."

"Thomas…" TC tried to start, but the private investigator held up his hand in a stop gesture.

"Don't even, Theodore…are you going to have them fix your feet?"

"My feet are damn bone spurs which will grow back if they grind them off, Thomas…not a badly healed fracture that should have been fixed at Bagram before we ever left Afghanistan! Let's not compare apples and oranges, dude!"

Thomas rolled his eyes and said. "You say Potayto and I say Potahto…it's the same thing."

Rick replied, seriously. "No, no, it really isn't Thomas. Look…let's not chase our tails all night. Let's just hang out and try and relax. We'll worry about this in the morning. But, first, let me see the damn thing. Robe OFF, Magnum."

Magnum snorted, "Well, at least it's not my shirt this time." He reluctantly slid the robe down his arms and turned so Rick and TC could see the damage.

"Unbelievable…it actually does look worse in person." Rick stood and came around the back of the chair Thomas was standing behind to gently touch it. "Tommy, no..No…you have got to get this looked at by a professional."

"Rick?...I thought we were just going to hang out and try and relax." Thomas hastily pulled the robe back up and fastened it, somehow the man had drawn out saying his name sound to make it sound like it was three syllables long.

"That was before we got a good look live at the damn thing, Thomas." TC replied huffily. "That thing is even gnarlier in person. You really rowed with that in that shape?"

"It's not…"

"that bad." Both of his friends finished his sentence, both rolling their eyes at his predictability.

Thomas laughed at the two men and started singing a little ditty from an old TV show. "Who said that opposites attract, they probably think the world is flat, for you and I are opposites…and all we do is fight. We see from different points of view, you laugh at me, I laugh at you, but we both know two wrongs don't make it right…

Rick stuck his tongue out at him, but joined in. "So here we are at the corner- of so long and goodbye…but something in the heart of me, says give it one more try…"

TC's mellow bass was added. "Here we are at the corner, but this time it's the end, we're opposites, we're idiots, but we're still friends!"

The guys all laughed and went and sat, Rick and Magnum on the coach, TC in the chair where he could regard the two others.

Theodore shook his head. "Oh, hell no…I'm getting the frozen spinach out."

"T, Higgins made me ice it earlier." Calvin waved as he went over the freezer on the refrigerator and got the big bag of frozen spinach out, opening a drawer near the frig he also got a dish towel, wrapped it in a single layer of the material and walked over to his friend, lifted up the robe just enough to slide it under and onto the bad shoulder and put Thomas' hand on it to hold the pack in place. As he did so, he replied. "Won't hurt to do it again, Tomas!"

Rick shook his head, stood, came over, took the length of material that served as a belt out of its loops and tied it around Tom's shoulder and under the other arm to hold the cold vegetable bag in place and took Thomas' hand and laid it in his lap, muttering. "Boys…boys…boys."

TM put up with the ministrations in good humor, knowing the fussing came from a place of love and caring they all shared, but feeling more than a bit ridiculous about the whole thing. It really, really wasn't that big of a deal! Really.

Things felt like home between the three of them..only thing missing was Nuzo. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and sighed, missing the Italian Stallion, but happy to still have these two to keep his life on course. They were just the best…the best friends that could be. Even if the number of people he could depend on seemed to be growing, still Rick and TC were the heart of him. God, their friendship meant just everything to him. "If you have to take someone, Lord, let it be me." He thought/prayed out into the universe.

Unable to restrain himself, he began to sing. "I bless the day, I found you…"

TC smiled and sang the next line. "I want to stay around you."

And Rick added the next line. "Now and forever…"

"Let it be me…" all three sang together. They all stopped and looked at each other, and Magnum spoke the words they were all thinking… "Okay the rest of the words may not fit."

"Well, some do…some don't…it's still a good old song!" TC retorted.

"True that."

"'member the song game in the Sandbox?"

"God, I think the other guys thought we were nuts…. Who started that anyway?"

Thomas held up his hand… "Guilty, your honor. It was a game my dad invented with my mom in the car to keep me from getting bored on longer trips. We'd start with one song and that would trigger a thought of a line in another song and on and on."

"Remember the time we started it over the radios in that convoy with the Academi guys yelling at us for it?"

"Boy, Captain Greene read me the riot act for that one about 'Unprofessional stunts on public airwaves being bandied about the whole FOB…'" TM responded to Rick's query.

"But the whole camp was doing it every time we met up…anywhere –" TC responded.

"Any time…" Rick chortled. "It went on for days after that. Drove Greene cray – cray!"

"Didn't have far to go though, did he?" Magnum replied…the two looked at each other and busted up laughing.

TC looked between the two of them and just smiled. "Did you ever think we'd make it to this kind of comfort and relaxation back there, back then?"

Growing more serious, Thomas honestly replied. "I truly thought I would be coming home in a bag, Theodore. Never thought I would make it back. Did you?"

"I don't want to think like that, TM. Keep it positive, babe. That's what I say."

"It was hard to do at times…" Thomas quietly acknowledged, "But we did. Beat the odds and made it home."

The three men all sighed simultaneously…looked at each other and busted out laughing refusing to end on a sour note.

"What song did you usually start off with on your car trips, T?"

"Don't ask me why, but we usually started with….

He started singing… "The coffee in the Army they say is mighty fine…

"Fine for cuts and bruises, it tastes like I-Owe-Dine…" Rick remembered Thomas teaching Nuzo and him this song on leave one time."

"I don't want no more of Army life….Gee, but I want to go home." TC finished. "Don't make no damn sense…your dad was as Navy as they come from what you've said… Why that song?"

"My granddad had this little blue book with songs from the army from somewhere and that's where my dad learned them I think…" Thomas shrugged. "Eh, we had fun with it. I think that one was called 'Gee Ma I want to go home'."

"So really the story of every GI in every conflict anytime anywhere…" Rick commented.

Thomas smiled. "Also true." He leaned his head back against the back of the sofa and closed his eyes… Rick and TC looked at each other across the room and smiled tolerantly. Thomas seemed the most at ease when they were all together. Maybe come morning it wouldn't be too hard to convince the recalcitrant investigator to seek professional medical help. As if….


	11. Restless Days and Restless Nights Ch 11

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
*(*(*)*)*

Ch. 8  
*(*(*)*)*

Photographs and Memories Pt 4

*(*(*)*)*

The next morning after TC had left to take his couple on their morning tour, Thomas wandered around the estate, disconsolately. He knew Higgins would go absolutely ballistic if he tried to either row or go swimming…and he wasn't in the mood to piss her or Rick off. God, he was jones-ing to get out there though. Maybe exercise of that nature was sort of his drug…he needed it the way some people needed coffee first thing in the morning. He liked coffee well enough, but he did not need it the way he needed his morning row or swim. That was really his jam. Okay, he was man enough to admit it. He was addicted to exercise in the form of a morning row/paddle or a morning swim…and an evening swim…oh, boy. Did he have a problem? Nah, swimming was logical when you lived on an island, right?

Whatever…suddenly, Magnum perked up slightly. There was one of those Mylar balloons tangled up in a tree near the main house. This was something he could handle. Surely Higgins couldn't object to him getting that 'eyesore' out of the tree, sparing either her or Kumu from the risk of climbing a ladder to get it out, right?

So, quietly, so as not to draw attention, the private investigator went and fetched a ladder, set it up securely and safely (he thought) and climbed up reaching up with his good arm to unwind the leader ribbon from the branch, retrieve the balloon and bring it down to earth. Almost there…

"Thomas Sullivan Magnum the Fourth, what in the bloody hell do you think you are doing? In the condition you are in, you should not be clamoring up ladders, to fetch down stupid Mylar balloons, nature hazard though they are. Get back down here on the ground and take a seat."

Lord, how could a woman with a British accent make him think of his own, very Hispanic mother? That made no sense, yet her cadence had done credible tribute to his Madre when she was really pissed about something or other he had done when he was very young. That whole overly long, overly pretentious sounding name was said in a manner so reminiscent of MaMa he actually looked down to verify visually it was Juliet Higgins.

"I'll be there in just a moment, Higgy." He reassured her. "I was really careful." Then he missed a step and had to grab the ladder tightly with the hand from his injured arm. Darkness roared over his eyes and ears…and he nearly blacked out. "Well, I was mostly really careful…" he finished in a slightly strangled voice. "That hurt…" He admitted, as he stepped down to the ground. He felt Rick's hands gently supporting him to a lounge chair. "Sit, Thomas before you do yourself another injury." His friend advised him.

"Let's check it out, shall we?" Higgins said to Rick.

"Oh, yes, let's…" Rick agreed as he started undoing Thomas' shirt.

Thomas muttered, "Again with the shirt…I should give up the detective gig and just go to work at Chippendale's." Rick had all he could do to keep from collapsing in laughter at the sotto voce remark. "My condition is just fine, Higgins…I am perfectly capable of going up a ladder and getting a stupid balloon down."

"Quit while you are behind, Thomas," Rick advised his friend, as he helped ease the shirt off his friend.

Suddenly an out of place female voice hit Magnum's ear. "Good lord, Magnum…that is the little injury Detective Katsumoto wanted me to get a look at? That's no little injury, man. You should be in the hospital."

"Dr. Cunha, how are you this fine morning?" Thomas replied, determined to be pleasant. Who else would the gang of 6 sic on him, bloody Steve McGarrett?

"Clearly better than you are…" The woman snapped. "This is why my patients are the dead, no talkback, no squirming and no sass." Still, her hands were gentle as she probed his shoulder. "Oh, Thomas…" She shook her head. "You need to get this properly treated, Magnum. I can feel the old fracture I was told about, but I am pretty certain there's a new one as well…" She came around in front of him and gently tugged his chin up until their eyes met. "Please, please, please…go and get this properly seen to."

Thomas closed his eyes, sighed, and shook his head. "Doc, I've been down this road before. It's not happening. I'll be…"

"Fine?" She shook her head at him sadly. "You are fine in one sense, Magnum, but this, this is not FINE." She sighed. "Okay, at least come by my office and I'll do some X-rays. I want a better look at what we are dealing with, please? Will you do that for me?"

Thomas sighed again. "As you wish…"

"I do…promise?" He smiled at her and nodded. "As soon as you can, Magnum."

"I will…but you have patients that are waiting to be taken care of."

"Ah, they are dead. They can wait a little longer." She replied. Magnum smiled at her odd quirk of humor.

"I'll drive you, buddy," Rick advised his friend.

"I said I'll go, Rick. You have work."

"Naw, I gave myself the day off, brother. I'm all yours for the day."

"Okay, Rick." Magnum gave in…didn't mean he'd be rerouted to the hospital when the good doctor got her better look, but he'd humor her and everyone else this far…and no farther, damn it. He had to draw the line somewhere.

Not too much later, Thomas lay on the table as Cunha got the x-rays, only slightly creeped out that the last person to occupy this spot had probably been dead. Was this even sanitary? He was very careful, not to talk back, not to squirm and not to sass. The woman was doing him, sort of, a favor after all. When they were finished, TM, Rick and the good doctor were looking at the X-rays up on the computer screen. Oh, boy…they had been right all along. Cunha traced the old damages with her pointer and described them as not so much healed as an abomination and then the pointer moved to what were clearly three new fractures one in the acromioclavicular joint, on the supraspinous fossa and the scapular spine. Great - now what? Nope. He was still not going to the hospital. He survived without hospital care in the camps, he could bloody well do it here.

Thomas very nicely thanked the good doctor and offered to take her out to dinner in return for her kindness, but she gently told him to seriously consider seeing an orthopod and she would consider that payment enough. TM was very quiet on the way home and when they got back to the estate he quietly told Rick thanks, but he was really tired and not feeling too well and he was going to take a nap. Rick shook his head, worried about his friend, but accepting the man's stubborn nature was part of what had enabled all of them to survive the camps. He couldn't really regret who Magnum was, even if he felt the man was hurting himself now, by being so damn stubborn.

Rick quietly went to the club, canceling the rest of his self assigned day off. TC came in at lunch to see what had been learned. To say he wasn't happy to discover that even after finding out he did indeed have new fractures, Thomas still wouldn't go to the hospital or be seen by an orthopod was an understatement, but then, Calvin suddenly got a thoughtful look on his face. "Oh, man…talk about stupid. I never considered that. Rick, do you think his not wanting to go to the hospital has anything to do with the wicked witch of the East?"

Wright looked at him like he'd lost his senses. "Huh? What does the WIZARD OF OZ have to do with Thomas not wanting to voluntarily go to the hospital for his shoulder?"

"No, Orville, think…who did Nuzo name the wicked witch of the East? Think, damn it."

The helicopter gunner thought a few moments before it hit him. "Oh, shit. THAT witch…the psychology masters' thesis gal who wanted to write her thesis on the 'sickness' of Navy Seals – how you had to be mentally ill to want to do that job – to want to become a Navy Seal? That whack job? What made you think of her?"

"Something Thomas said last night…and I quote, "Most of the time it only bothers me when a rainstorm is coming in or if I swim or row a bit too long, so I don't see why I need the damn surgery…and you know how I feel about getting locked up in some damn hospital. It's not happening." Now think on that real hard a minute."

Rick looked confused, but then thought a bit more carefully, getting it… " 'You know how I feel about getting locked up in some damn hospital…' You think it's that damn threat she left him with, that if anyone ever got a good look inside his head, they would lock him up as a danger to himself and others and throw away the key? You think that is still echoing through his head and scaring him away from getting proper care?"

TC made a face. "I could be wrong…"

Rick came right back. "I kind of doubt it, T. After just two days in the locked ward, Thomas was ready to jump off the damn roof. He'd be terrified of being permanently confined, especially after Afghanistan. But he knows we wouldn't let that happen, right? We'd bust him out. Tommy's only dangerous to bad guys and himself, not anyone else."

"You are damn straight we'd bust him out...whatever it took. That lady was a real nut job. I wish Thomas had never met her…it put him off ever seeing a counselor." TC affirmed. "Nobody is locking our boy up and throwing away the key. No way, no how."

"Hey, TC, I just had a brilliant idea, if I do say so myself…"

"And you do…" Theodore joined.

"Yea, actually, I do. He won't see a counselor, but he'll see Father Mike…"  
"Oh, the gift of the Blarney…that might actually work, Rick. Mike Murphy might actually be able to get through to our boy."

"Yep, I think I'll go see the good Padre tomorrow. Sort of a Hail Mary pass attempt, eh?" The Club manager nodded.

"Well that's appropriate, Father Murphy is a Priest. If anybody should be good to catch a Hail Mary, it's him!" Calvin replied.

A/N: Okay...I really have to work on the other story for a while now. Now, thanks to screen name Diana-0f-Wales, I remember that Rick did mention being from Chi-town in this version, too. Seamonkeys down the Chicago sewer system...that's a weird place...yes, I've been down there, briefly once it was very weird.


	12. Restless Days and Restless Nights Ch 12

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
***(*(*)*)***

Ch. 8

***(*(*)*)***

Photographs and Memories Pt 5

***(*(*)*)***

Rick walked down the hall at Pearl to Chaplain Murphy's office, hoping he would not encounter Captain Greene while he was on the base. He couldn't stand the man's attitude towards Magnum. It made him want to punch their former CO out, every time he saw the man.

Fortunately, he made it into the Padre's office without such an encounter. Michael Murphy looked up from his desk and broke into a wide grin. "Rick Wright, how are you today, young fellow, mi lad?"

Rick grinned right back at the man. "Hey, Padre, I'm fine. How are you doing today?"

"Oh, well enough, my friend. Though I must say, you look a bit ragged around the edges. Not getting enough rest?"

"Oh, just keeping watch over Thomas, Padre. He has gone and gotten himself hurt again, but he won't go to the hospital."

"What's the situation?"

"Thomas worked a case for a friend, Detective Katsumoto, and he got hit over the back of the head with a shovel. That's all he remembers, but his old shoulder injury got reinjured somewhere in there."

"Ah, he's avoiding the hospital because he doesn't want the surgery? Does this surprise you? Rick, you know he's been fighting against having the surgery ever since the Stan and you know why. He can't stand to be without his swimming and paddling for as long as it would take the surgery to heal. You know how important that is to him."

"Yeah, but, Mike, he's got three new fractures there and we still can't get him to go to the hospital or see an orthopod. We're afraid this is going to wind up permanently damaging his shoulder's stability."

"Hmmm. That does cast a different light on the situation. What do you think I can do to help?"

"Well, it occurred to TC that part of the problem may be what the psychology lady said to him back in Germany..."

"Ah, the one Nuzo nicknamed the 'wicked witch of the East...he thinks Thomas is afraid they'll lock him up and throw away the key? Why does he think a psychologist or psychiatrist would get a look in his head when he's there for his shoulder?"

Rick frowned. "Huh. Yeah...that doesn't make sense."

"Unless he fears when they see the old damage, they think his refusal to have it fixed prior to this indicates something wrong in the cabeza?"

"Yeah, but that's a bit of a reach, isn't it? Maybe it's just that orthopedic surgery takes so long that he'll feel locked up." Rick shrugged. "Anyway, we thought maybe you could try and persuade him that it would be safe...and best, if he would see an orthopod and just see what the doc says. You know he won't see a counselor, but he'd talk to you. What do you think?"

Mike thought a moment. "I'm always up to visit my friend, Rick, but how do I explain just showing up?"

"Maybe you'd like him to play and sing at a service coming up, or something like that?" Rick suggested.

"Hmm. That's always viable because I do love having him perform at service. I can work with that. Out at the Nest, then?"

Rick nodded. "That would be great and he's taking it easy today to keep Higgins from bugging him more about his shoulder, so..."

"You've got it, Orville. I'll give you a call after and let you know how it goes, okay?"  
***(*(*)*)***

Thomas was full of nervous energy, but trying to be a good boy and sit quietly because he could feel Higgins' watchful eyes on him and he did NOT want to earn her ire by misbehaving. Lord, he was a grown man - getting bullied into acting atypically by a short blonde drill sergeant with an English accent. He rolled his eyes. He really wanted a paddle, but a good, long, vigorous swim would settle him just as well. He was totally antsy. He turned and looked at Juliet. "Would you be okay with it, if I went for a jog down the beach?" He asked.

Higgins who was dangling her feet into the water in the pool looked up at him and graced him with a smile, that he figured meant trouble. "You are an adult male, Magnum. Personally, I think your inability to just sit still and relax while your shoulder reduces in swelling is a sign of immaturity, but if you want to run...go run. I think you will find that jogging will induce a world of hurt in your bad shoulder, but have at it. Just...no going in the water."

Magnum sighed loudly. "Yes, Higgy, I hear you...I can't even wade."

The woman snorted. "Thomas, if you go in to wade, you will not be able to resist the temptation to take a quick dip and the next thing we know you'll be making a break for it, trying to swim to Japan or some such nonsense."

Magnum scrunched his face at her. "Nah, I know I'd never make it that far, but you are probably right about me making a break for it. Swim to Waikiki maybe. Even Hawaii if I started early enough, but not today. Nope, no way. I promise I'll be good and only jog along the beach. Thanks, Higgins. I'll try not to be gone too long."

"Good, because Rick mentioned he might stop by later this afternoon."

"I'll have my phone with me. Call me if Rick shows up before I get back, okay? I'll come straight back."

"Yes, alright. Go on." Higgins waved the man on. His restless energy had been irritating her for about an hour now. He felt like a tightly coiled rattler, waiting to strike.

Magnum hurried into the guest house, changed out of his boat shoes into a pair of sneakers, put his arm holster on, took his phone off the charger, and inserted his phone into the arm holster, grabbed his earphones, put his Detroit Tigers hat on and selecting his favorite running playlist of tunes, took off, heading from the guest house to the beach. Finally, a way to liberate himself from the constant observation he had been under. He began to run, screw jogging, he was at a dead out run. Let's see how far he could get in the sand at a dead heat. The only way to clear the energy out of his system was at full speed at this point. He probably got three miles before he had to pause to catch his breath. God, that felt good...and yeah the shoulder was screaming at him, but he could handle it - damn it! Ah, there, the endorphins were kicking in - the natural pain relief was quite literally a relief. He smirked to himself as the tunes in his ears switched to Motown.

It was a sunny day on Oahu, but it felt good enough he started to sing along. "I've got sunshine, on a cloudy day...when it's cold outside, I've got the month of May..." He resumed his jog, singing along... "I guess you'd say...what could make me feel this way...my girl...talking about my girl." So maybe the words weren't exactly right, and he hadn't had a 'girl' in quite a while, but it felt good to be on the move! He was determined to make it back to Nest before Rick could show up, so he would only go half as far as he would ordinarily. This wasn't a training run...it was to ease his frustration of being constrained from his usual forms of exercise. Lord, he missed the water.

Times like this his friends' concerns for his well-being were more irksome than helpful. He knew it came from a place of love and they were worried about him, but he knew what was best for himself and six to eight weeks of healing followed by anywhere from 6 months to a year before he could get full use of his shoulder back. No way, no how, nuh-uh. He didn't care if he was being a bit of a baby. It would drive him crazy to be that restricted for that long. He knew his limits as well as he knew his needs and it just wasn't on. He couldn't handle it. Plus the possibility of never getting full use of his arm that had been explained to him by the one medic loomed large on his horizon. The guys hadn't heard that part of the informed consent spiel he had to sit through. He just couldn't. In spite of the new injuries, his shoulder was still mobile. In fact, in the privacy of the guest house, he'd tested that mobility, with a small weight and...yes, it hurt, but he was capable of using the full range of motion still, so he just wasn't interested in hearing the spiel and how it really would be best for him to yield to the wishes of the doctor's and trust their superior knowledge of his body. Screw that!

Magnum sighed, checked his phone for any messages and seeing none he turned back towards the Nest. Back to the prison of his fussy majordomo's domain...he appreciated the woman's sense of responsibility for those within her little kingdom, but he wasn't her bloody serf, nor was she responsible for him, in spite of what she seemed to believe. He WAS a grown assed man and he could make his own decisions about things thank you very much. He stretched his neck in one direction than the other, but didn't get the relief from trying to crack his neck that he usually would. The stiffness was spreading up from the shoulder into his neck bones darn it. He really needed a swim. He looked out at the peaceful blue ocean and had to struggle against a very real urge to ignore the cautions and just jump in and start swimming, but after a brief battle, he subdued it. A few more days and he might not be able to resist the siren call of the sea, but for today, he'd be good. Honest!

***(*(*)*)***

**A/N: As you can see, I am trying to spread the wealth and write something on all my stories this weekend. So here's this, but I think I'll be continuing with another installment here, right away.**


	13. Restless Days Ch 13

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
***(*(*)*)***

Ch. 8  
***(*(*)*)***

Photographs and Memories Pt 6  
***(*(*)*)***

As Thomas slowed down to a walking pace, to let himself cool down before he reached Robin's Nest, Magnum gave a sigh. He still felt amped up. The run hadn't dumped enough off the energy he had pent up, damn it. He needed to paddle. However, his shoulder was really hurting after the run...his neck and back felt like he'd been tied up in knots for days...and yes, he did know what that felt like thanks to the Taliban. He hated feeling this way. It was like being back in the camps. He was going to go stir crazy. He crossed the boundary to the nest and saw Higgins looking at him from the steps. "Rick, here?" He called his question across the expanse of lawn.

"No, however, you have another visitor. It's Father Murphy. I let him in the guest house because with the sun fully up now, it is just too bloody hot out here on the verandah. Don't you think?"

Magnum sighed, but replied. "Thank you, Higgins. I'm going to tell him that I want to take a shower before we talk."

Higgins wrinkled her nose at him, though she wasn't close enough to smell him from there. "I'm sure the good Father will appreciate that, Thomas."

In response, he flapped his hand her way in a half-assed wave and headed to the guest house. Murphy was a Father, but he wasn't a Catholic priest. The man was married and had three kids, for Pete's sake. He was an Anglican priest.  
***(*(*)*)***

As he entered the door of his home, he smiled at his favorite priest and former (well, really, 'hello', still!) Chaplain. "Hey, Mike...you mind waiting for me to take a quick shower before we talk?"

"Of course not, Thomas...have at it. No need to stand on ceremony about me, you know that."

"I'll be out shortly." Thomas headed up the stairs to his bathroom for that quick shower. He was a bit put out, but not with the good Father. He was upset with Rick whom he was fairly certain had set the good Father on him. This had to stop. TC, Higgins, and Rick were all conspiring to try to force him into the surgery. Well, time for some home truths for all of them. They wanted in his damn business so much, fine - it was in for a penny, in for a pound. He'd let them in on the whole damn thing. See how they liked knowing the rest of the story!

He grabbed his quick shower, dried off, dressed, and headed downstairs, asking from the top of the stairs. "Padre, you want a brewski?"

"Sure, Thomas. What do you have?"

"Father's choice...do you want a Long Board, a Coops, or an Old Dusseldorf?"

"I'll have a Long Board, Tommy."

"Right, you are, Padre Mike. I think I'll have an Old Dusseldorf myself." He took the two bottles out of the fridge, handed the priest's his and sat down across from him on what Rick commonly referred to as the 'ridiculously comfy couch'. "So, Father Mike, which of my two friends sicced you on me? I'm not angry, but I would like to know."

Well, hell, Tommy was too smart by half. Hmm. Honesty or prevaricate? Oh, Lord,...he wasn't about to lie to a private investigator. Besides he happened to know that Thomas Sullivan Magnum was a bloody human lie detector. "Rick asked me to come by, but really, Thomas, I was planning on coming anyway. I was wondering if you would be willing to come by the chapel at Pearl next Sunday and play and sing for us."

"I've told you any time you want, Mike." Tommy agreed, easily. "And don't worry. I have no intention of handing either of my friends a knuckle sandwich. I'm just trying to decide who to expose the whole truth to, or whether it should be all of the guilty parties."

Murphy frowned. "All the guilty parties?"

"Oh, yes, we're dealing with a threesome of conspirators, Father. Higgins, Rick, and TC are trying to force me to go and get the damn surgery I don't want. But they don't know the whole story. Did you know that there is a better than 70% chance that I will never regain full mobility in my shoulder if I have the surgery? See, the guy's don't know that while I was waiting for the paperwork to come through on my discharge, the doctors at Tripler were doing a full court press on trying to get me to have the surgery before I accepted discharge. I got the full informed consent BS rundown from them. It was not a happy session, I can tell you that."

"I've been there. But they give you the worst case scenarios in those I.C. briefings, Tommy."

"I am not stupid, Father Mike. I asked for numbers and I got them. The odds are not 'ever in my favor', Padre...and I know that I've beaten bad odds before, but this doesn't feel like a good fit for this time. I'm not sure I could take being permanently constrained in the use of my arm, Mike. I'm being honest here."

Murphy nodded, sadly. "I know that you are, Magnum. And, I do understand. I'm putting in my retirement papers and the doctors at Tripler are pushing me to have the knee surgery they've been recommending before I get out. I'm not liking my odds either, so I totally get what you are putting down, laddie."

"Care to mediate my session with my three friends, Mike?"

"Damn straight, Thomas. You name where and when and I will absolutely be there!"

Magnum sighed in contentment. It was good to have a co-conspirator on his side now. "So what would you like me to sing at service, Father Mike?"

"How about 'Morning Has Broken', mi boy-O, but your arrangement?"

"You think my arrangement is good enough?"

"My service, my choice, laddie."

"Indeed, Mike, indeed. Okay, I'll practice up."

"It won't put too much of a strain on your bad shoulder, will it?"

Magnum smirked at him. "Mike, I want to show you something." He stood, setting his long neck down on a coaster on the coffee table, walked over to the door, turned the lock, picked up his 10 lb weight. He walked back around to in front of the couch and slowly, holding the weight went through his full range of motion for his shoulder with the 10 lb weight in his hand. He didn't hide his winces when they were pulled out of him as he was purposefully being fully open here. "There...I'm not saying it doesn't hurt, but I have full ROM with no deficit at this point. Why the hell would I risk that for very little chance of improvement? Huh? Why? I wish my friends would just trust me that I know my own body, my limitations, and my tolerances. My shoulder hurts yeah, but it isn't unstable or I wouldn't be able to do what I just did."

The good padre was silent as he considered what he had just seen. "I think we need to do a full court press on this, Thomas. Perhaps you should bring Dr. Cunha here and show her that as well."

Magnum tilted his head, considering it. "You know, I think that is an excellent idea. I'll let you know when I have set it up, okay?"

"I'll be here when you do, laddie."

"Are you okay to drive, or do you want some chips?"

"Want to play a round of gin rummy, Tommy? And break out the chips, I've already cleared my afternoon."

"Let me check the larder and see our choices, okay, Mike?" He walked over to his dry goods cabinet and checked. "I know you can't have corn because of the diverticulitis, Murphy...so I have Lay's Lightly Salted Classic chips or Sun Chips...or Blue Diamond Almond Nut Thin crackers lightly salted?"

"I've never heard of that last. Do you like them?"

"Honestly, I think I have a new addiction. They are Higgy's ideas of a healthier snack, but they are good."

"Let's have those, Tommy."

"Would you like a sandwich - I have ham, cheese, turkey?"

"Oh, that would be lovely...white bread, please. Turkey and cheese."

"You've got it, my friend." Thomas began laying out the fixings to make them lunch. He fixed two sandwiches for Mike and one for himself. He pulled plates down and made them up with the food, he grabbed the plates, napkins, the cracker box, and headed over to the table. Meanwhile, Murphy had set up the things for gin rummy.

Thomas grinned at his friend and priest feeling better than he had since Higgins had grabbed his shoulder. He wasn't alone anymore in this fight. He had an ally. Thank God and he meant that literally. Thank you, Jesus. He prayed. "Father, will you lead the blessing?"

"Thank you, O Lord my God for allies in our struggles, for friends who care, for conflicts that come from the right place...and for our better angels that lead us to peaceful resolutions. I will have Tommy's back in this Lord, so tell Nuzo to stand down. Rick and TC are trying to do the right thing, but they need to understand all the facts of the situation and just what they are asking of him. Help us find the right way to go. Guide us, Lord. This we ask in Jesus name...and for his sake."

Magnum joined him heartily in the Amen, crossing himself. "Thanks, Mike!"

"Not a problem, mi boy-O!" And the two enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon of relaxation together, neither one particularly worried about things anymore.

***(*(*)*)***

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this weekend's update of the Restless Series...I didn't mean for this section to stretch quite so long, it's turning into a separate story on me. Mind me keeping it in Restless...let me know what you think I should do there. More soon.


	14. Restless Days Ch 14

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
***(*(*)*)***

Ch. 8  
***(*(*)*)***

Photographs and Memories Pt 7  
***(*(*)*)***

Thomas frowned, trying to think how to gather his friends and Higgins and Dr. Cunha together for the confrontation. No, he didn't want to think of it that way. How about a celebration?

Yeah, that he could work with. Invite his friends, because they really were all his friends to a party. So he would have to start by asking Higgins for permission to have a little party. He knew Rick and TC would be up for it...his buds were always up for getting together with him. He'd never invited Dr. Cunha to such a gathering before, but first time for everything, right? Who else...it would look suspicious if he... Oh, of course, Detective Katsumoto had to be invited. Hmmm. Kumu, Higgins, Father Murphy. He could ask Kamekona to cater to the gathering. He had to get a job to come up with the money for this, but Higgins would not be happy with him if he took a PI gig before the situation with his shoulder was resolved. Oh, crap, he'd dig into his foundation money. That would work. Once they understood his shoulder was okay, he'd get a PI gig to pay it back to the fund. Okay...time to take this to Higgins and see if it would float or if he would have to talk Rick into renting out the King K club to him one Sunday evening. Time to get to it.

Magnum wandered outside and saw Higgy heading over to her yoga spot with her yoga mat. He called out. "Hey, Higgy, wait up." The blonde paused in her walking and waited for him to catch up. "I have a request, Higgins." He began more formally. He'd never asked for anything like this before. It felt, awkward. "I'd like to have a little gathering."

"A gathering?"

"You know, like a party...out here on the lawn."

Higgins frowned, "How many people in this 'gathering'?"

Thinking a moment, he said, "I don't know...10 to 12 people maybe."

"Oh, good heavens, Magnum. You don't have to ask for permission for a gathering of a few friends - you live here. I thought you were asking about a much larger group than that. "

Thomas frowned. "I don't really know that many people, Higgins."

"Just let me know when...it's fine."

"I'd like you and Kumu to come as well. I was thinking of having Kamekona bring his shrimp for food and we'll have beer and wine coolers and lemonade and iced tea to drink. That sound okay?"

Higgins smiled at him. "It sounds rather pleasant. As I said, just let me know when."

"Okay, thanks for being so nice about it."

Juliet looked at him tolerantly. "Thomas, it is not like you've asked for much since you have lived here. It is your home. So long as you let me know ahead of time a gathering like this is hardly going to break the estate. Let me know what you'll need set up."

Magnum frowned and shook his head negatively. "No...no...me and the guys will take care of that."

"Oh, like hell you will with that shoulder." The majordomo snapped. "I'll let the gents help me, but not you...you can 'sidewalk superintend'!"

Magnum rolled his eyes. "Yes, ma'am."

"Now, off...or I'll never get my yoga done!"

"Thanks again, Higgy."

She waved him off.

So things were a go!

***(*(*)*)***

Magnum went into the guest house to call Rick and TC and see when would be good for them. He thought maybe this Sunday afternoon/evening might work, but he'd check with the guys first and go from there. Knowing TC had a tour this morning, he called Rick first.

"King Kamehameha Club, Rick speaking."

Magnum grinned. "Hey, Rikki."

"Tomas...how's your shoulder?"

"Colourful." He replied, honestly.

"Sorry I didn't make it by yesterday...we had a lady come in wanting to talk about having a bachelorette party here in about three weeks, so I had to meet with her."

"Oh, no problem, brother. You know I understand work comes first. You guys have real jobs. Higgy still won't let me work."

"Thomas, with as much trouble as you can get into on your cases, you know she's right. Your shoulder is already bunged up, you don't need anything else to get hurt."

"Yeah, but I had to pass up on a simple job setting up security monitors for a warehouse. It was for good money, too...and could have led to more gigs like it." Magnum frowned, thinking his remarks sounded too much like whining.

"Yeah, a simple job climbing up and down ladders, and crawling all over the place to determine the best angles for the cameras...doesn't sound safe right now. You damn near ripped your shoulder worse getting that balloon down just the other day, Tommy." Rick snapped. "You know, you have a gig like that, TC and I would help you...you wouldn't have to miss out on the gig. Why didn't you call us?"

"No, Rick, you have real jobs. I'm not going to put my actual work on you. That wouldn't be right."

"I call BS, Thomas. I'm offering and I know damn well TC would back my play. I could take a few hours off with no problem, damn it."

"Rick..." Thomas tried to cut off the tirade.

"Damn it, Tommy, let us help."

"Okay - how about this Sunday? Want to help me put on a little soiree? I was going to ask you guys to help me set up tables and stuff, but I got overruled by Higgins. She'll only let me 'sidewalk superintend', not actually set up."

"And rightfully so, TM. Sure...are we invited?" Magnum could hear the chuckle in his voice.

"Of course. I thought maybe TC could bring the Karaoke machine and we could have some fun."

"Sounds good. What time?"

"Well, I'll get back to you on that - when would be good for you?"

"Anytime, Sunday, T."

"I got roped into singing at Chapel at Pearl this weekend." Suddenly Magnum groaned. "Oh, God, you don't think Captain Greene will be there, do you?"

"I don't think the good Father would have asked you if he expected Buck there, Thomas. He knows about how well you get along!"

"True that. I mean, I'd behave, but I am not sure we can say the same for Greene."

"That's for sure." Rick snorted. "I think I'll come if you are playing and singing."

"That would be nice, Rick. Did you know Father Mike is putting in his retirement papers soon?"

"No, really? That's too bad."

"Ah, he says it's time. He's been in 30, you know. And his knees are really fucked up from the jumps he used to make into the Kops at times."

"Oh, I remember that one time when he hurt the one knee in the Stan...that was messed up, but he still stood on it doing service for us."

"Yeah, Mike's a tough old bird. He was great over there, wasn't he?"

"Even TC enjoyed him in spite of him usually being more Baptist in outlook."

"Well, Mike kept it pretty neutral theologically at the front, Rikki."

"Oh, I know...though I admit I liked the feel of the more liturgical Evening and Morning Prayers he'd do with us, remember? You still doing those?"

"Every day I can, Rick. I enjoy those and they keep me level, you know. No substitute for a good paddle, though."

"I'm glad you are behaving on that, Thomas...just a week or two."

"We'll see when Higgy will let me have access to the surf ski again. That woman can be bossy. It's like having a mini-blonde drill sergeant on my case all the time."

Rick laughed at the image that raised in his mind. "Drill sergeant? Higgins?"

"Dude, she hasn't barked at you as much as she has at me. Yeah, drill sergeant!"

"But she's okay with the soiree?"

"Yeah, she was actually really cool about that. She said...and I quote, "Oh, good heavens, Magnum. You don't have to ask for permission for a gathering of a few friends - you live here. I thought you were asking about a much larger group than that.' "

"Wow, that's really nice of her."

"I invited her and Kumu too."

"Well, yeah, they are part of the family now."

"That's true."

"Well, let me know when you firm up the time after talking to TC and we'll go from there, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan, Rick. Thanks."

"Hey, I'm always up for fun times with Magnum and TC, buddy."

***(*(*)*)***

Well, that made a good start, Magnum thought. One down!  
***(*(*)*)*  
A/N: Just going for full disclosure here. Mike Murphy is based on a real former military chaplain (He was Air Force, not Navy) and he was my former pastor when I was attending a nearby Lutheran church. I've left that church now, though I adore Pastor Mike. I was studying to become a Lutheran, but when I read some of the works of Martin Luther...I couldn't go through with it. I consider myself a Celtic-Messianic Christian (that is Celtic in origins and Messianic because I have frequently attended Messianic Jewish shul and I had had no idea how anti-Semitic Luther was until recently. That's a no go for me. I have considered myself part Jewish for years and I can't handle anti-Semitism...so that was that. Now I go to an Anglican church, so I chose to make Mike in my story an Anglo-Catholic like me!**


	15. Restless Days Ch 15

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
***(*(*)*)*  
**Ch. 8  
***(*(*)*)***

Photographs and Memories Pt 8  
***(*(*)*)***

Thomas waited a while to call TC. Shammy answered the phone. "Island Hoppers, Shammy speaking."

"Hey, Shammy."

"Hello, Magnum. How's the shoulder?"

Thomas rolled his eyes, but replied. "Not you too, Shammy. It's colorful, but I'm fine."

"Hey, Rick and TC are really worried about you." Shammy pointed out.

"I know...I don't want them to worry so I am going to try and fix it. Is TC back from his tour yet?"

"Oh, sorry, brother. He picked up another one, so he's out again."

"That's okay, Shammy; never apologize for TC having a good day, work-wise, brother. I'm glad for him."

"Something I can help you with, Thomas?"

"Just ask TC to call me later. Oh, what are you doing Sunday, Shammy?"

"Probably sleeping in and getting up late...why? You need me for something?"

"I'm putting on a little party here for a few friends. I'd love it if you would join us, my brother."

"Yeah? I'd actually like that. Just let me know when and if I need to bring anything."

"No, just yourself, my friend. Can you eat shrimp?"

"Sure."

"Had to ask, brother...some folks are allergic."

"Huh, I hadn't thought of that."

"Well, I had a friend nearly die on me at a SEAL party years ago because she didn't even know she was allergic and they were big ass shrimp which is the worst when you have a shellfish allergy. I had to do CPR for like 40 minutes before the paramedics got there. Shot of epinephrine fixed her right up, but the doctors told her no IVP's, no iodized salt, no betadine on her skin...or iodine...because that is what they are really allergic to in a shellfish allergy."

"Wow. Knowing you is an educational experience, TM."

"Hell, being me is an educational experience, Shammy. She wound up in intensive care, because she had a heart condition and the epi triggered an irregular heartbeat. Had to get one of those epi kits and the docs told her if she needed to use it, use it, but figure on spending time in the hospital to get the arrhythmia under control. She had to fight to stay in the Navy after that."

"She an old girlfriend, T?"

"No, we were at the Naval Academy together. So just friends, but she was like a sister to me. We lost her in Iraq. She stepped on a mine."

"Oh, man...I'm sorry."

Thomas sighed. "Yea, it was rough. Nuzo and I were working with teams at the time, it was before we were assigned to Marine Special Ops Command, so before we met Rick and TC."

"Want me to have TC call you when he gets back?"

"I'd appreciate it, Shammy...and hold off mentioning the party until after I talk to him, okay?"

"No problem, buddy!'

"Thanks, Shammy."

***(*(*)*)***

Shortly after getting off the phone with Shammy, Magnum's phone rang. Picking it up, he noted it was Rick's ring tone. "Hey, what's up, Rick?"

"You set a time for this soiree yet, buddy?"

"Nope, not yet. I need to talk to TC and see when will be good for him, but he got another tour, so I have to wait for him to get back."

"Actually, I took care of that for you, buddy. His tour wanted to pick up lunch from here to take on their trip, so I talked to him. Hope you don't mind."

"No, 'course not. What time did he say was good?"

"Silly boy, he's coming to service in the morning and he says we'll just come to hang out afterward. Is that okay with you?"

"Absolutely, we need to discuss some things before the party anyway, brother. Thanks for talking to TC for me."

"Oh, man...are you kidding? No problem, bro. We are looking forward to Sunday."

"I invited Shammy to the soiree...just thought I'd let you know."

"That's cool. Do you need me to bring food?"

"No, nope...I'm going to pull some money out of my foundation and use it to pay for food from Kamekona. I just have to check and make sure no one I invite has shrimp allergies."

"Oh, yeah...I remember that story. That was a tough deal."

"She's been on my mind lately. She would have loved to visit us here, man. Katiedid always dreamed of seeing Hawaii."

"Did she ever get to...?"

"Nope, not before she died in Iraq." Magnum sighed. Suddenly the grief felt as fresh as the day he heard Katie Lyons had died in Iraq. The ache was still there.

Rick said, softly. "Tommy, why don't I come by and pick you up this afternoon? You need to get away from the Nest for awhile and with Katie on your mind, I don't want you alone out there."

"I'm not alone, Rick - Higgy, and Kumu are here. I shouldn't take you away from work."

"Let me help you, Tommy, please?"

Magnum thought a moment and realized he did feel pretty bleak now that Katie was on his mind. "You sure it'll be okay?"

"Of course...I'm my own boss, dude. Doubt me not."

A smile tugged at Magnum's lips. "Mahalo, buddy."

"No problem, my friend. See you in a bit."

"Okay, Rick. Thanks again. It'll be good to get away for awhile." Thomas smiled. He had really won the lottery when he became friends with Rick and Theodore Calvin. He just hated needing help so darn often. He'd been raised to be self-sufficient, but that didn't work too well when you joined the teams. And it went right out the bars once captured by the Taliban. They had each had to rely on the other in the camps to survive at all...and while Magnum had willingly put himself in harm's way, again and again, to try to help them all get out; in the end, it was the guys who had to drag his sick butt out of there. He'd begged them to leave him, terrified he'd get them recaptured by slowing them down, but they never even considered it. Together or not at all, had been their mantra, their motto, and their vow and they had made it back to polite society together...just the way they planned and insisted on. Stubborn, but brave and resolute, didn't begin to cover the friendship they all shared. He hated when he felt he wasn't contributing enough to the friendship; hated being the one in need, because he wanted to serve, not be served, but life seemed to conspire to make him the recipient way, way too often. Magnum sighed. No point chasing his tail about it. Life gives you what it gives you. Deal with it. Move on.

***(*(*)*)***

A/N: So we've added Shammy and TC to the party. It's going to be interesting, hey? More soon.


	16. Restless Days Ch 16

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
***(*(*)*)***

Ch. 8

***(*(*)*)***

Photographs and Memories Pt 9

***(*(*)*)***

Thomas opened his military footlocker, rummaged around in it, and took an envelope full of pictures out. He flipped through them - his dad, his mom, his grandparents, there was his roommate from the Academy who committed suicide in their dorm room; and TM had found him. A shudder shook his system and he felt chilled, ugh, the memory still had such power over him; gack, he hated that. It made him feel like a whiner.

Taking up the envelope again, he found the one he was looking for. There was Katiedid, smiling up at him, forever young and happy, just the way she would always be in his memory. That was the hardest part. The photographs matched his memories, but not the pain in his heart. It didn't jive. It made him feel conflicted. How could he be happy and sad at the same time? Happy at the memories of the joy and the fineness of the times they had had, with pain at the loss following hard on the happy. Same with his dad, same with Nuzo...too much loss, God...he was drowning in it. Rick's voice broke through the circular hamster wheel of his thoughts spinning round and round again.

"Tommy, no. Why do you do this to yourself, buddy? It's like you self flagellate your own pain. That scares me. Come on, let's get out of here. Leave the pictures, Thomas. No, wait, give them here. You need to give this a couple of days. I'll bring them back to you on Sunday."

Magnum sighed. "Busted. You knew this would happen, didn't you? You know me too well, Orville."

"I know you just about right, Thomas. You need to have someone to pull you out when you start to wallow. That's what I'm here for."

"To mother-hen me?"

"No, Nuzo was the mother-hen. I'm more the henpecker."

Thomas couldn't help it, he started to giggle. He wished he could use a more manly word for it like chuckle or laugh, but it was a full-on, 'Michael-Landon-as-Little-Joe-Cartwright' giggle. "Orville, did you just call yourself a henpecker?"

Rick fell down on the bed next to him, laughing out loud at what had just come out of his own mouth. "Oh, Lord...I did. TC will love this when I tell him. He's never going to let me live this one down, is he?"

"He won't let either one of us live this down."

Thomas pulled his friend up off the bed as he stood himself, grabbed his go bag which was always packed with a change of clothes, underwear, and basic kit and kept Rick with him as they walked down the stairs and out into what all three of them craved when things got too heavy. The fresh air and sunshine of a fine Hawaiian day beat down on their faces and both he and Rick instinctively raised their faces to the sun to feel the heat warming the chill of the past from their bones.

Deciding to go for it, Rick laid his hand on Magnum's arm, as he spoke gently to his friend. "Tommy, why do you have such a hard time accepting help?"

Magnum sighed again. "I don't know, buddy. I guess it's a personality defect of mine. I love to help others, you know that, but accepting help. It just doesn't feel right. It doesn't fit. I was raised to look after myself...to take care of Mama if something happened to Dad. I was supposed to become the man of the house if he was gone. If there were supposed to be lessons on accepting help from others, I guess they were going to come later...and Dad died before we got that far."

Magnum's eyes automatically tracked out to the blueness of the ocean, as they tended to do when he spoke of something that made him terribly uncomfortable. "So Dad dies when I'm six and Mom needed and just expected me to step up and be the man, the adult, in the relationship. Did you know I started balancing my Mom's checkbook before I even got to 1st grade in school? I had to handle the budget. My job to watch we had enough to pay the mortgage each month, tell Mom how much we could spend on food, to worry about the money. It was all on me because Mom sure didn't know how. I offered to teach her, but it was obvious she didn't want to know. If I seem irresponsible now, it's because I think I'm rebelling against having to do it so young. Plus now, if I don't balance the checkbook and don't have enough money until the next time I get paid, I'm the only one who is going to go hungry for a while, and clearly I don't matter that much, because I've been making lemonade out of the lemons life hands me for a really long time now. I've been hungry before...hell, we all have...You, me, and TC; we have all been there and done that."

Thomas glanced at Rick and saw the set jaw and the clenched fists...and shook his head. "See, this is exactly why I don't like talking about this shit, my friend. I don't do it because I don't want to share the pain around. It upsets you when I'm honest." He reached out and gently touched Wright's closest wrist just above the pulse point in a gentle grasp. "Relax your hands, Orville. Take some deep breaths for me." Automatically, Rick was obeying Thomas' request.

Magnum's good hand went up and began rubbing the shoulder that was closest to him. "It's okay, Rick. I took the hand life dealt me and I lived with it. I overcame it. I'm still standing..." He grinned, starting to sing an old Elton John song. "Don't you know that I'm still standing, better than I ever did, Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid, I'm still standing after all this time, Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind..."

Rick looked at his friend, smiled and verbalized his own thoughts. "Yeah, but it sucks that you have to be. It seems you always have to fight just for the right to exist. It ain't right...no one should go through the shit you did...without any support."

"No, now, don't do that. I never said my mom didn't support me. Mi Madre loved me, Orville. She just needed a lot of help herself to stay standing after we lost dad; and for a few years, I was enough. We were a good team; well, I thought." As he said that last, his eyes drifted oceanward again as he shrugged in resignation at what came next. "Then I went on that tiger cruise with Uncle Terrence when I was eleven and when I came back, she's introducing me to Frank, whom she tells me she is going to marry, and that I won't have to take care of her anymore." A sad smile tugged at his lips as he caught the way Rick's fists started to ball up again and he just gently shook his wrist, shaking the hand making Rick smile at him and relax again.

Magnum's eyes drifted back to the ocean, "She failed to mention, I also wouldn't be allowed back home as long as Frank was alive. He didn't want kids, considered them a 'vanity project for adults to relive their lost youth', so I was sent away. My needs and wants were only considered in the least possible way. I got sent to a lot of military prep schools. That was out of consideration for the fact I was going to be Navy, but that was the extent of it."

Magnum shook his head, "No, that isn't fair to Frank. He always made sure I went to the best schools, the best enrichment programs, etc., etc. He may have wanted me out of their lives, but he didn't cheap out on me. I had the best education money could buy, just not a family, - not really, not anymore. And Mom just went along to get along. Before too long, she didn't even write to me. I got a call once or twice a year if I was lucky. That was the extent of our contact."

The two were out in front of the guest house as they were talking and neither noticed Higgins regarding them both with horror on her face as she heard what TM had gone through after his father died. Kumu stood near her with tears running down her face. She was trying to picture herself doing that to her own precious children if her husband had died when they were young and found herself completely unable to bring such a picture into focus.

Again, shifting gears to emphasize the fact he'd overcome the pain, Thomas began to sing,

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, Stand a little taller,

Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone,

What doesn't kill you makes you a fighter, Footsteps even lighter,

Doesn't mean I'm over 'cause you're gone." The darker man began doing a little defiant dance as he kept singing and earned Rick beginning to sing along and move with him.

Higgins smiled at the two men and began backing towards the main house. They didn't need to know that she had found another piece to the puzzle that made Thomas Magnum the enigma, but the true survivor and fighter that he was. Before she and Kumu went back inside she saw Rick reach over and hug his friend, saying in a strong voice. "You are not alone, Tommy, never alone again. You've got us and we aren't going anywhere."

Juliet heard Thomas say, and the words sounded like a prayer. "From your mouth to God's ear, Rikki. From your mouth to God's ear. I-I don't know if I could keep standing if I lost you guys."

If Juliet Higgins had anything to say about it, he would never have to find out. Truly she was beginning to understand why Robin had advised her 'Handle with care' when he told her Magnum was coming. Care and a light touch were required to heal the brave spirit of this man who had endured so much and could still lightheartedly, defiantly sing that song with such gusto. She was coming to understand what Robin Masters had fallen in love with about his White Knight prototype because Thomas Magnum was truly a most remarkable human being in so many ways.

*(*(*)*)*

A/N: Hurts so good, babe, it hurts so good. Sometimes love don't feel like it should. Come on baby make it hurts so good. ~ John Cougar


	17. Restless Days Ch 17

Restless Days and Restless Nights

***(*(*)*)***

Ch. 17

***(*(*)*)***

Photographs and Memories Ch 8 Pt 10  
***(*(*)*)***

As they breezed along the H3, Rick bit his cheek to keep from laughing out loud as Magnum rolled the window down and stuck his arm out into the sunlight and wind. He looked about ready to stick his head out the window like a dog. Rick cautioned aloud, "No sticking your head out the window, Thomas."

"How did you know I was thinking of doing that?" Thomas looked at him with an expression of such consternation on his face that Rick gave in to the urge and laughed.

"I just looked over at you with your arm hanging out the window and thought you were about six seconds away from doing a convincing imitation of a dog with his head out the window."

"I was..." Thomas admitted. "Something about the air moving across my arm reminds me that when I originally went into the Navy...I wanted to be a Naval Aviator like my dad was."

"Yeah, I always kind of wondered why you didn't go that route."

"Oh, that was the plan. But one of my trips to Mexico when I was still really young, I got very sick and had a high temperature. When I signed up for the Naval Academy, they checked my eyesight and the fever had damaged my eyes...not a lot, but too much scarring to be an aviator flying off a carrier and landing on one after dark. Slightly impaired night vision...not enough to affect my ability to be a SEAL, but definitely no go on Naval Aviator."

"Sorry, man, but I am glad you didn't wind up an Aviator...we never would have met if you had."

"Oh, I'm glad I wound up where I did, brother. Honestly, I like to think that career goal adjustment was my dad's way of telling me I had to follow my own path." Magnum shrugged, but Rick was concerned because he looked sad and that wasn't what he brought him out for today. He wondered what could cheer Thomas up. TM continued softly, "I just wish I had told my dad more that I loved him and looked up to him. That he meant everything to me. You know you don't say those kinds of things enough to family...and then they are gone."

"Tommy, you were six. Your dad deployed and I am sure he knew how much you loved him and how you looked up to him."

"You think?"

"No, dude...I know. He had to have known."

"I hope so, Rikki. I really do."

"I'm absolutely sure he knew, Tommy."

"Sorry, I went all Debbie Downer on you there, Rick."

"Hey, don't do that. Keep it real, my man. Don't you ever feel you have to be anything else but yourself with me, Thomas. If things go a bit dark and flat and sad, show me where your head is at, I can handle it."

"Yea, but you shouldn't have to."

"Oh, horse pukey, dude...I want to. "When you're down and troubled and you need a helping hand..."

Magnum's lips curled into a half grin the way they often did, but he fell into step with the game. "No, no, Rick! It goes like this."

And he began to sing:

"_When you're down and troubled, and you need some love and care,_

_ And nothing, nothing is going right..."_

"I know what you did there, Rick..." He remarked, interrupting himself.

Rick responded by singing the next line...

_"Close your eyes and think of me...and soon I will be there,"_

And together the two brothers in arms sang,

"_To brighten up even your darkest night..."_

_"You just call out my name...and you know where ever I am..._

_ "I'll come running to see again..._

_Winter, spring, summer or fall, All you have to do is call _

_ And I'll be there...You've got a friend._

_If the sky above you grows dark and full of clouds__..._

_ And that old north wind begins to blow_

_Keep your head together and call my name out loud_

_ Soon you'll hear me knocking at your door..."_

Magnum sighed and smiled over at Rick... "Great distraction, good technique, and a wonderful tune. Mahalo my brother..."

"Not a problem, T. Keep it going, baby."

Magnum continued the song.  
***(*(*)*)***

Soon the duo arrived at the King Kamehameha club; Rick pulled into the manager's parking spot and smiled over at Thomas who was staring out at nothing, his eyes unfocused, looking into the abyss. Rick reached over and jostled Magnum's head. "Hey, McFly? We're here, dude. Come on, let's get inside."

Magnum pulled himself back from wherever he had gone again and smiled at the blonde. "Yeah, sorry about that...I drifted again."

"S'okay. With me now?"

"Yep!" He pulled himself out of the Porsche and stood, cracking his neck as he did so.

"Oh, man...I can hear your neck popping all the way over here, dude. That's so gross. You are going to give yourself arthritis."

TM laughed. "That's an urban myth, Rick. You can't give yourself arthritis by cracking your neck...although sometimes it twangs a little."

"Are you sure it's an urban myth, Tommy?"

Magnum shrugged, "Studies have shown. I read some thing one time that it's air trapped in the joints that make the nose...but I'm not a doctor."

"Yeah, but you could totally play one on TV, dude." Rick chortled.

Thomas crinkled his face at him. "As, if."

"Oh, come on...you are a good looking guy. You would be sooooo popular on a soap."

"Yea, but can you see me acting?" TM just snorted. "Hardly."

"I don't know, you play 'undercover angel' pretty darn well when you need to,Dr. Tomas Caballé!"

"Nah, I didn't pull off the doctor part all that well."

"Ain't buying that, Thomas, you totally had a couple of those chicks on the line."

"Not the goal, no matter what Higgy thought."

"Oh, I know, but you toat's McGroats had the wahine's all over you - you, dog, you."

TM just laughed. "That expression cracks me up. What in the hell is a 'tote's McGroats' anyway?"

"Hell, Tommy, I don't know...Google it!"

"Oh, Lord, you and Higgins - you know I don't have my own computer anymore."

"I swear, dude, that is what I am getting you for Christmas. You need one for some private R & R time."

"Rick, I'm not into Porn."

Rick cracked up. "Well, thank god for that...I meant Google, you idiot! YouTube? You love oldies...you can find practically anything on YouTube you ever heard..."

"I remember. I do kind of miss that...but I'm not even sure the guest house has Wi-Fi."

"It does, too! I use it on my phone all the time when I am there. ...And don't fake this 'you don't know computers' shit with me, Thomas Magnum. I know you used to write program algorithms for Naval Intel back in the day."

"Yeah, well my programming and analytics days are long behind me."

"Horseshit." Rick fake coughed the words out. "It's like riding a bike, you never forget, dude. I wish you would can that routine with Higgy. Let her see your abilities, Dude, she's part of the family now."

"Former MI6 mean anything to you, Rick? She doesn't have a 'need to know'."

"I call BS!"

Thomas just shook his head, grinning at his friend. "I'm a man of mystery and I like it like that, Rick."

"Whatevs, TM."

***(*(*)*)***

As the two had been chatting, they had entered the main area of the club and Rick was looking around, taking stock of the business, noting which regulars were present and what state each was in. Hmm. It needed something. "Hey, Tommy,"

"Hmmm?" Magnum had been unconsciously doing the same though over the opposite side of the room.

"Go over to the piano and liven things up for me, will you? This is looking too much like 'Night of the Living Dead'."

"Using me for cheap entertainment, Orville?"

"Hey, the girl doesn't come until later...pinch hit for me?"

"What do you want me to start out with...?"

"Start with where we ended..."You've Got a Friend... and just take it where ever it leads you, okay?"

TM smiled at him. "You got it, buddy."

Magnum went over to the piano...and began to play. "_When you're down_..."

Sure enough, the crowd…well, the sprinkling of folks, perked up, and began moving towards the piano and taking seats nearby. Someone called out a request. "Hey, do you know PIANO MAN?"

Rick laughed and shook his head as Thomas began the song. Did Magnum know PIANO MAN…he knew the whole 80's Fakebook, for Pete's sake? Keoki pulled out his mouth harp and went over to play the harmonica parts for Magnum.

TM smiled up at the bartender and Rick noted people in the bar were starting to take out their phones and video the proceedings, plus more than one was calling a friend to call them down to the club. "_It's nine o'clock on a Saturday  
The regular crowd shuffles in  
There's an old man sitting next to me  
Makin' love to his tonic and gin_

_He says, "Son, can you play me a memory  
I'm not really sure how it goes  
But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete  
When I wore a younger man's clothes"_

_La la la, di da da  
La la, di da da da dum_

_Sing us a song, you're the piano man  
Sing us a song tonight  
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody  
And you've got us feelin' alright_

_Now John at the bar is a friend of mine  
He gets me my drinks for free  
And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke  
But there's someplace that he'd rather be  
He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me"  
As the smile ran away from his face  
"Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star  
If I could get out of this place"_

_Oh, la la la, di da da  
La la, di da da da dum_

_Now Paul is a real estate novelist  
Who never had time for a wife  
And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the Navy  
And probably will be for life_

_And the waitress is practicing politics  
As the businessmen slowly get stoned  
Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness  
But it's better than drinkin' alone_

_Sing us a song you're the piano man  
Sing us a song tonight  
Well we're all in the mood for a melody  
And you got us feeling alright_

_It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday  
And the manager gives me a smile  
'Cause he knows that it's me they've been comin' to see  
To forget about life for a while  
And the piano, it sounds like a carnival  
And the microphone smells like a beer  
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar  
And say, "Man, what are you doin' here?"_

_Oh, la la la, di da da  
La la, di da da da dum_

_Sing us a song you're the piano man  
Sing us a song tonight  
Well we're all in the mood for a melody  
And you got us feeling alright" {_Songwriters: Billy Joel Piano Man lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group}

Yep, that was definitely beginning to liven up the place! Rick wandered over and put a jar on the piano for folks to express their appreciation for the entertainment. Rick went into his office and locked Magnum's pictures in the safe and by the time he came back out the bar was edging towards packed. More and more requests were being called out and Tommy knew and did every single song. People were happy and beach bunnies and beach blanket bonzes were wandering in, too.

If Rick could only get Tommy to do a regular gig here, both he and Magnum could make bank! He knew TM didn't consider music his calling, but damn, the man could play and sing and always attracted a crowd when he did so. Rick nodded to Keoki to open the sliding doors to the outside and let the music draw in even more…some people went out on the veranda to continue to enjoy the music and the convivial atmosphere it engendered.

Of course, that was the scene TC wandered into just a short while later. Thomas seemed to be enjoying himself, but Rick knew he was going to have to force him to take a break soon. TC approached the manager. "Getting a free gig out of our boy, Orville?"

"Hey, it's hard to be blue and sing the blues at the same time, Theodore. Besides, look at the crowd he's pulling in."

"Oh, I see it…I do see it. If he didn't like his PI gig he could do this for a living….Mr. 'I don't think music is my gift'."

"What brings you by, TC? Not that I'm not thrilled to see you, but it's mid-day…no tours this afternoon…?"

"Actually, that's by design. I swung by the Nest because I wanted to scout out a new tour route and was going to have TM help me. Higgy told me you brought Thomas here to get him out for a change of pace. What gave you that idea?"

"Probably the same thing that made you think to use him to scout out a new tour…Tommy being inactive was going to drive him cray-cray and he needed a distraction."

"And, what triggered that thought, Rick?"

"Damn it, TC...Thomas was starting to feel like he's back in the Stan. It feels like a prison to him being watched all the time...and he was dwelling, thinking about how much Katiedid would have loved to come to visit him here in Hawaii. She always wanted to see it before she died..."

"And she didn't get to." TC was getting the picture now. "Damn..."

"When I got to the guest house, he was already flipping through the dead files."

TC made a face. "Damn, Rick, I wish you wouldn't call his photographs of people he's lost 'the dead files'. It's gross and demeaning. I don't blame the boy for keeping pictures of those he's lost. I don't like him dwelling on it when he's low, but I can understand why he does it."

"Yeah, T, I get it too, but it isn't healthy for him. I took the pictures and locked them up in the safe in my office. I'll give them back to him on Sunday. I get him here and made the mistake of asking him why he didn't go into Naval Aviation like his pops."

"Oh, crap...make things worse much?"

"I know, T, I just wasn't thinking. I know it was stupid. I was stupid."

"Hey, Rick...stop that now. I didn't mean to imply that at all. I know you never meant to do that. Things happen. You were right to get him away from the Nest for a while. Tommy alone and inactive tends to dwell in dark places too easy."

"Yeah, but he is still right on the edge of it, T. It worries me. He keeps drifting back into dark waters. It ain't good for him."

"We'll keep this ship righted, Rick. You and me…we'll keep our boy on an even keel. He's doing okay right now. You've done good."

"Yeah, but I have to give him a break here, pretty soon. He's been at this for a pretty long while now."

"I'll keep an eye on him for you, once you pull him off the piano bench, Rikki. We could maybe take a walk on the beach and I'll propose he help me with my project tomorrow."

"Okay. That could work."

***(*(*)*)***

A/N: Obviously, I tend to write song fics, not your cup of tea...skip that part and move along. Nothing to see here. But I like it! Have not seen last night's episode yet, but I am dying to. Okay, let me rephrase that. Oh, boy! Hope you enjoyed this addition to the tale. Sometimes keeping Thomas sane is a fulltime occupation, but 'that's what friends are for!' Yep...another song. Out of here for now...


	18. Restless Days Ch 18 Photographs C8 Pt 11

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
***(*(*)*)***

**Ch. 18**

***(*(*)*)***

**Photographs and Memories Ch. 8 Part 11  
*(*(*)*)***

"Oh, TC, before I go pull Thomas off the piano bench, I have to tell you what happened when I went to get TM from the Nest."

TC looked at Rick hearing the choking humor in his voice. "What happened, Orville?

"Well, as I told you, I caught Tommy looking through the dead..."

Theodore interrupted him. "His photographs...yeah, and?"

"I could see the hamster wheel in his head was spinning, you know? So I said, 'Tommy, no. Why do you do this to yourself, buddy? It's like you self flagellate your own pain. That scares me. Come on; let's get out of here..." I told him to hand over the pictures. He needed to give this a couple of days and I would bring them back to him on Sunday."

"Tommy said, "Busted. You knew this would happen, didn't you? You know me too well, Orville."

"I told him I knew him just about right. I said, "You need to have someone pull you out when you start to wallow. That's what I am here for."

"He asked, "to mother-hen me?"

TC cocked his head, wondering where this was going when Rick went on.

"So I told him, 'NO, Nuzo was the mother-hen. I'm more the henpecker.' "

TC cracked up. "You didn't really say that for reals, did you?"

"Yep, I did."

"What did Tommy say to that?"

"He started giggling...that 'little-Joe-Cartwright-giggle, you know?" And he said, "Orville, did you just call yourself a henpecker?"

Wright went on... "I just fell on the bed laughing my head off. I said, "Oh, Lord...I did. TC will love this when I tell him. He's never going to let me live this one down, is he?' And Tommy retorted that you'll never let either one of us live it down." Rick grinned at TC, "So tease Magnum about that a bit while you two are hanging out...bet it gives him another laugh."

"You got it, Rick...and I will let you live it down...eventually." The chuckle was still clear in TC's voice.  
***(*(*)*)***

Rick sighed. "After that, I asked Tommy why he has such a hard time accepting help...and you know what he said to that?"

"I don't know, bro...what did Tommy say...and did it actually give you any insight into our boy?"

"Maybe...he said maybe it was a personality defect in him. He said, "I love to help others, you know that, but accepting help. It just doesn't feel right. It doesn't fit. I was raised to look after myself...to take care of Mama if something ever happened to Dad. I was supposed to be the man of the house if he was gone. If there were supposed to be lessons on accepting help from others, I guess they were going to come later...and Dad died before we got that far."

"He went on, staring out at the blue waters of the ocean with that look he gets sometimes, you know the one..."

"Hell, yea, I do. He say any more?"

"He said, 'So Dad dies when I'm six and Mom needed and just expected me to step up and be the man, the adult, in the relationship. Did you know I started balancing my Mom's checkbook before I even got to 1st grade in school? I had to handle the budget. My job to watch we had enough to pay the mortgage each month, tell Mom how much we could spend on food, to worry about the money. It was all on me because Mom sure didn't know how. If I seem irresponsible now, it's because I think I am rebelling against having had to do it so young. Plus, now, if I don't balance the checkbook and don't have enough money until the next time I get paid, I'm the only one who is going to go hungry for a while, and I clearly don't matter that much, because I've been making lemonade out of the lemons life hands me for a really long time now. I've been hungry before...hell, we all have...you, me, and TC; we have all been there and done that."

"Oh, hell. He's never told us that much about after his dad died. About how it was between him and his mom at first after his dad died. He's finally started to open up."

"And as usual, I screwed up," Rick said bitterly. "I got all uptight, mad at how life dealt with him...and he wound up taking care of me instead of dealing with his own shit. He started trying to cheer me up. "He said, 'its okay, Rick. I took the hand life dealt me and I lived with it. I overcame it. I'm still standing..."

TC immediately smiled. "Let me guess - he started singing the old Elton John song..."

Rick smiled as well, but too briefly. "Yeah, he did...but I said. "Yeah, but it sucks that you have to be. It seems you always have to fight just for the right to exist. It ain't right...no one should go through the shit you did...without any support."

"TM said, "No, now, don't do that. I never said my mom didn't support me. Mi Madre loved me, Orville. She just needed a lot of help herself to stay standing after we lost dad; and for a few years, I was enough. We were a good team; well, I thought." His eyes went oceanward again at this point. "Then I went on that tiger cruise with Uncle Terrence when I was eleven and when I came back, she's introducing me to Frank, whom she tells me she is going to marry, and that I won't have to take care of her anymore." He fussed over me 'cause I was tensing up again. Then he went on "She failed to mention, I also wouldn't be allowed back home as long as Frank was alive. He didn't want kids, considered them...Well, you know how the rest went from there."

"TM do the usual of defending Frank too?" TC asked.

"Yeah, Frank didn't cheap out on him, sent him to the best education money could buy, just not a family, - not really, not anymore. And Mom just went along to get along. Before too long, she didn't even write to me. I got a call once or twice a year if I was lucky. That was the extent of our contact."

TC shook his head. "She basically abandoned him, Rick...I don't care how he pretties it up, she tossed her own son aside for her new squeeze. It ain't ..."

Rick patted his friend's arm. "I know, big guy. I know, but he'll never diss her...we both know it. He loved his mom, even after all that."

"Yea...I know. What did he sing after that...?"

"How did you know? He sang Kelly Clarkson's 'Stronger'..."

"And another piece goes in place, Rick. Music is how he copes, buddy. It's his coping mechanism. You know this."

"What about when the music stops, TC...what then?"

"We don't let it stop, Rikki. We keep the music going for him. He's our Jukebox Hero." TC smiled. "One thing though, Rick. We make sure from now on, no matter that he makes it sound like nothing...we make sure he has food in his fridge. Okay? I didn't know the boy was letting himself go hungry."

Rick admitted, "I suspected, but it's the first time he admitted it to me. Bet he didn't even realize that he did that."

TC sighed. "I've got to back off riding him about the gas money. Damn it, I should have known he sometimes paid me before he worried about feeding himself."

"T, if you do that, he'll know why and he won't like it. Not sure that is the best idea."

"Damn it, Rick. Sometimes we have to take care of our boy, whether he likes it or not, you know? Someone has to finally start putting Tommy first. That's on us, now that Nuzo is gone."

"I'm not disagreeing, TC, but we have to find a way to sort of sneak it past him."

"Oh, so we are officially sneaking now? Okay, we are sneaking it past him." TC chuckled. "We can do subtle if we have to, but we will look out for him, right?"

"Abso-frickin'-lutely, Theodore."

***(*(*)*)***

A/N: I hope this chapter wasn't too boring. I'm trying to show here that Rick and TC are still learning what makes Thomas tick and why he is the way he is. You can know someone for years and years...be together through all kinds of tough things and still be learning about the person and why they are, who they are. So sorry if this was a slow one and sort of redundant, but more soon I hope.


	19. Restless Days Ch 19 Ch 8 Pt 12

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
***(*(*)*)***

Ch. 19  
***(*(*)*)***

Photographs and Memories Ch. 8 Part 12  
***(*(*)*)***

Rick wandered over to where Thomas was still singing songs for the crowd and said. "This is the last one, guys. Thomas here did this as a favor for me and I have let him keep going way over the standard set time because he seemed to be enjoying himself, but my other friend needs to talk to him. So, this is the last song. I think it is clear you have enjoyed the time he's spent entertaining you this afternoon. Thank you for your time, Magnum. Everyone, this is Thomas Magnum, my brother from another mother. Thomas is a local private investigator, not a professional entertainer, but I think he does alright in the later capacity as well."

The applause that broke out made Thomas blush a bright red, but many people were coming up and putting 'bread in his jar'. They were all remarking that he could and should do this for a living. They all swore they would be regulars at any show he played. He was actually so embarrassed that he didn't say his usual line that 'music wasn't really his gift'. He just smiled and thanked people for their kindness in spending time listening to his efforts.

Rick shook his head, amused at how embarrassed Magnum was at the attention his efforts had garnered for him. The man could come across all cocky and self-sure, but the truth was he was actually somewhat shy and self-effacing. Wright had been noticing this for years now. It amused him the dichotomy of the two sides of TM's personality and how they seemed to conflict, but really were different aspects of the same person. God, was it any wonder he loved this guy?

When Thomas finally escaped from his well-wishers and thank you for your time-rs, he made his way over to Rick still blushing, though it had faded to pink from the flaming red it was before. "TM, you forgot your jar," Rick remarked going over to the piano, getting the jar full to overflowing with tips and bringing it back behind the bar, he began taking the money out, putting the bills into a consistent pile for his friend.

Thomas grabbed a couple of 20 dollar bills and went over and handed them to Keoki who immediately tried to refuse the amount, pointing out he had only played the harmonica on the first song Magnum played, but Thomas was insistent the man keep the money he had given him. Rick smiled and advised Keoki, "Give in gracefully, Ke. When Thomas gets like this, you are going to wind up with the money one way or another."

Keoki protested to Rick, "But it's too much. It was a few bars on one song."

TM just grinned and indicated Rick, saying, "Listen to your boss, Keoki."

Keoki sighed and took his wallet out of his pocket and put the two bills in it. "Thanks, man, but I still say it's too much."

Thomas next turned to Rick and asked him, "How much do I owe you?"

"Owe me? You don't owe me anything, my friend. You were doing me a huge favor. Those tips are all yours, understand me? Put the money away in your wallet."

"You sure, I think you should get a share."

"No way. Do you have any idea how much above the normal take you pulled in this afternoon? I don't think my take in the till has ever been this high on a weekday afternoon. I am good just based on the bar tab and the food that was purchased. You MADE me money this afternoon."

"Well, thanks, Rick. It was fun."

"Good. Now go outside, TC wants to have a chat with you."

"What'd I do wrong?"

"Nothing, he has a favor to ask of you, buddy. Go on now."

Magnum frowned at him, wondering what TC needed, but grinned. "Okay, I'll go chat with the big guy."

"Go...have fun, Tommy!" Rick made a shooing motion.

Thomas wandered out the doors towards the beach and TC was standing there waiting for him. "About time, my brother! I was beginning to wonder if Rick decided to just keep you playing until Cynthia comes in."

Magnum grinned. "No, he was just working the crowd and excusing me for being done playing."

"Got some money in your pocket there, TM?"

"It wouldn't fit in my wallet, so yeah; it's jammed in my pocket."

"Well, I'll protect you from getting rolled, Thomas."

"Hey, I was a Navy SEAL. I think I can handle that myself." TM retorted. "So what can I help you with, Theodore?"

"Well, I was wondering if you would help me determine a new tour route and maybe help me write the script, tomorrow."

Thomas smiled. "Sure, that'd be great. I would love to help you with that and I do have a few ideas and suggestions."

"Cool. I have a tour in the morning, so it will be early afternoon before I can come to pick you up from the Nest...is that okay?"

"Absolutely, Thank you, TC. I think I'm beginning to annoy Higgins being there all the time, so giving her a break is a great idea;...and honestly, I can REALLY use the break from her constantly watching me and telling me what to do. I know she means well, but for cry-aye!"

"Yes, Thomas. I know. You were a damn Navy SEAL. You think you can look after yourself; except you never do, my friend. Rick and I are damn glad we have Higgy out there at the Nest to watch over you, playing injured half the damn time." TC was rolling his eyes and giving Magnum the look that said. "We are going to do what is best for you whether you like it or not!"

Thomas decided to give in gracefully. "When did Nuzo find time to teach you that look, Theodore? That's the patented Nuzo mother hen look."

"Oh, TM, he didn't have to teach me that look! It's a gift given to those of us who happen to care about one stubborn-ass, Thomas Sullivan Magnum the Fourth. It comes standard in the brotherhood package, baby!"

TM grinned at his friend. "Mahalo, TC."

"What you thanking me for, Tommy?"

"For everything, for caring enough to stick around, for putting up with me, you know." He shrugged, suddenly feeling awkward.

"Always, my brother. Always, and never, ever doubt you are worth it. Every minute of it. Got that?"

Still looking down at the sand, TM shrugged. TC shook his head, saddened that his friend seemed to have no idea of his own worth. Damn, Frank Pinkner, all to hell, anyway! Sending this treasure away like yesterday's trash. What in the hell had been wrong with that man to not see the gem he had gathered in the young Thomas Magnum?

Thomas looked up and saw something in his friend's face that made him say, "Theodore~let it go, babe. I'm fine. Frank didn't know me; he doesn't get to ruin the rest of my life, okay?"

Calvin smiled at that. "You're right. Screw him. Let him rest in peace."

Magnum chuckled, "More like rest in pieces and ashes - Frank was cremated."

"Oh, good, He was already used to the heat when he got where he was going."

"TC, judge not, my brother."

"I will judge all I want." The helicopter pilot advised him.

"Okay, big guy, okay!"

"Let's walk a while, TM."

"You got it, bro." The two wandered along the beach, watching the guys and gals who were cavorting on the beach. Suddenly, a volleyball came flying at them, Thomas easily spiking it back to the gal who had been trying to serve when the wind caught the ball and flew it to him.

"Nice recovery." She called to him.

"Have a good game." He answered back.

TC smiled at his antics, how easily friendly the man was with people.

Suddenly, a scream carried to them from the water. Thomas' eyes whipped around to the water to see what was going on. His mind quickly made sense of what he was seeing and he kicked off his shoes, thrown his phone down on the beach, and took off running to the water, before TC could say anything or even connect what was happening. Magnum plunged in and swam at an angle to the woman caught in what appeared to be a riptide or very strong current, went submerged as the woman had been pulled under by the time he got to where she had been. TC was frowning...the man shouldn't even be in the water, let alone playing lifeguard with that shoulder. It took just long enough for Calvin to think 'Rick's going to kill me! I was supposed to keep him out of the water!' It took a few ticks longer than TC would have preferred for Magnum to reappear from below the waves with the woman in the rescue position. TC started towards the water, but Thomas was stroking for the shore with the woman in tow, rescue breathing for her, so he clearly had it under control. As he pulled her up on the shore and began compressions, TC pulled him off and said, "Not with that shoulder, Tommy. I got this."

The woman was coughing up water in short order and opening her eyes to TC. "You saved me."

"Naw, my friend here is the one who pulled you out and got you started, I just pinch hit because he was playing injured. He has a bad shoulder."

"Thank you! Thank both of you, so much."

Thomas just waved his hand. "I'm glad I was able to help."

"You're the guy, who was playing and singing earlier in the club, aren't you?"

Thomas blushed, "Guilty as charged."

"Guilty of being fantastically talented, brave, and kind." She retorted. "Rick should hire you. I mean Cynthia's great, but you would be a great addition."

Thomas shook his head. "Ma'am, I'm a private investigator. I just did that as a favor to Rick."

"You're Thomas Magnum," She exclaimed. "Rick talks about you all the time."

"You know Rick."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I am Connie Aristes."

TM straightened up. "Mrs. Aristes, I'm very glad I was able to help you. You should go to the hospital and get checked out. Tell them you suffered a near drowning - it took you about 2 minutes to resume breathing on your own, after we pulled you from the water."

TC was nodding. "Ma'am, I'd be happy to take you."

"Oh, I don't think..."

"No, I really must insist," Thomas said firmly. "Please..."

"Oh, very well. Thank you, Mr. Calvin."

"Hey, now...it's TC to my friends and seeing as I've given you the kiss of life, we are definitely friends. Just give me half a moment to explain to Rick, why Thomas here is soaking wet."

"Fine, it'll give me a moment to call my husband and let him know where I'll be."

A/N: Tomorrow I have two job interviews (which at my age is a minor miracle), so I hope you've enjoyed this addition to the story. The rate of additions may slow some if I actually get a job!


	20. Restless Days Ch 20 Ch 8 Pt 13

Restless Days and Restless Nights

***(*(*)*)***

Ch. 20  
***(*(*)*)***

Photographs and Memories Ch. 8 Part 13  
***(*(*)*)***

Thomas followed TC back into the King Kamehameha Club, his hands in his pockets...very self- conscious of how wet he was and that he was dripping all over the club's floor.

Rick spotted him and immediately went ballistic on poor TC, which made Magnum step between the two of them. "TC, what the hell? You were supposed to keep Thomas out of the water!"

"Rick, stop. Right now. First of all, I don't need a damn minder. Secondly, if you would have been alright with Connie Aristes drowning on your beach, I'll apologize for getting a little wet!" Magnum snapped at his friend, fed up with the attitude. "Mrs. Aristes got caught in a riptide and had been pulled under for the third time before I reached her. TC had to rescue breath for her until she coughed up the water she'd inhaled. I heard her screams and took off for the water before TC even realized what was happening. Now, did I do the right thing, or am I getting sent to the principal's office for being a bad boy?"

"Where was the lifeguard I pay to handle things like that, huh, Thomas?"

Magnum came right back at him. "He had his hands full rescuing a father who wasn't that great of a swimmer and was trying to save his two kids caught in the same tide, Orville. One guy can't be everywhere at once, dude. Now, are you sorry I saved your co-owners' wife?"

Rick finally exhaled and realized he'd pushed too far. "No, of course, not, Thomas. TC, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone off on you. I was wrong. Tommy, go into the office and sit down. I want to take a look at your shoulder and get some ice on it."

"Dude, I'm okay. Leave it alone." Magnum replied.

TC told Rick. "I just came in to let you know that I am taking Mrs. Aristes to the hospital, so she can get checked out after her near-drowning. I'll be back in a bit and take TM back to the Nest, okay?"

Thomas spoke up. "I'll take an Uber or something, TC. Don't worry about me. Give me a call...oh, I left my phone..."

TC handed Magnum his phone. "Here Thomas...you threw it on the beach before your little dip, so I picked it up and pocketed it...oh, and here's your shoes, my man."

TM blushed a bit at having forgotten he was barefoot. "Thanks, Theodore. I appreciate the help."

"Hey, babe, you were the BDH. I just grabbed your things."

Magnum frowned, asking, "BDH?"

Rick laughed, "Yeah, you know - Big Damn Hero."

"Oh, come on. I just pulled a woman out of a bad tide...nothing heroic about that."

"Bet Connie wouldn't agree with that line of thought, Thomas." Wright retorted with some heat. "She can swim, but she wouldn't be strong enough to break out of a riptide."

Magnum shrugged, "Not sure it was a riptide, may have just been a rogue wave."

"There were warnings that there would be periodic rogues and mild to full rips today, courtesy of some sort of big storm out to sea." Orville nodded. "The beach was posted, but you know some folks just think 'oh, it won't be that bad.' "

"I hadn't heard that report," Thomas admitted. "I just saw she was in trouble and no other help was around so I went into action. It's what I do and I am NOT going to apologize for it."

"Of course, not." Rick was being conciliatory now. "I'm really sorry I barked at you. You did the right thing, Thomas. Office, now, though - okay? I'll be right in. TC, let me give you an incident number - the club will cover Connie's bill, of course."

Calvin nodded. "Okay, my friend," relieved the storm clouds seemed to have moved on. Rick went behind the counter started an incident report and gave TC the number. "I'll call ahead to Queen's ER and let them know you are coming in and why, okay? Again, TC, I'm really sorry. I was totally out of line."

"It's okay, Orville. I get it. I was not a happy camper when I realized TM was going into the water, but I saw the rest of it and realized it was really was an emergency and a life was in the balance. I did pull him off when he started compressions, though. Told him I would handle that, he didn't need to aggravate his shoulder."

"Again, thank you, TC. Both you and Thomas really saved my bacon. Connie is the club's co-owners' cherished wife and he would not have been happy if he had lost her on the beach here. That would have been a nightmare. Go get her seen to, okay? Don't worry about Thomas, I will get him home. I think I have a change of clothes here for him so I will dry the clothes he has on now, first, before I take him home."

TC grinned. "Don't want Higgins to figure out Thomas went swimming, right?"

Rick grinned back at his friend. "Hey, do you blame me? The majordomo is tough and has MI-6 skills. I've seen James Bond…I don't want to mess with that!"

"I'll call you and let you know what the docs say about Mrs. Aristes, okay, buddy?"

"Thanks, Theodore."

"No problem, Rick…go check our boy hasn't hurt himself more, okay?"

"You got it, big guy."

Rick called Queen's ER, having the number memorized as it was the location the club sent the occasional bar fight victims, overindulgence victims, near drownings, injured on the beach (two beach volleyball players had run into each other hard just a few days - both of them knocked out; clubs which extended both indoors and outdoors tended to have such incidents; sunstroke and heat stroke victims - especially, among the rich, mainland haloes' who came to the island without understanding the climate, the strength of the sun here, and tried to act like they would at their local lake beach back home. The club offered temporary memberships for all higher end vacationers at certain member hotels in the area...it was a cash mine making bank for the business every time the right convention bought out the floor of rooms because those convention attendees tended to be big partiers once their meetings were over.

Early on after Rick got the gig at the King Kamehameha Club, it was Thomas Magnum who had visited each of these high end hotels, talked to the managers about their interest in such a deal, set it up, brought the idea to a meeting with Rick and the club owners, explaining the potential for additional revenue and traffic for the club and presenting the paperwork he'd already had tentatively drawn up. He had numbers and proof from other hotels in Los Angeles and San Francisco that had similar arrangements with clubs in their area and how these sort of mutual aid projects had benefited both companies' bottom lines. The research, time, effort, and thought he had put into it had been brilliant to put it simply. The potential benefits had sold every one, and the paperwork and memorandums of understanding had been signed before that meeting had ended, but Thomas didn't hang about to see the results. He'd gotten a call for a case and quietly excused himself to go to a meeting with the potential client. That case had almost gotten him killed. Rick didn't recall if he and the owners had ever thanked him for the work he had put in and the spectacular results it had garnered for all the businesses involved. If Thomas weren't so committed to being a private investigator, he would make a fantastic marketing chief for some business.

***(*(*)*)***

**A/N: Turns out getting interviews is still getting me nowhere fast, but I am getting more used to the process after so many years away. Just wish I could get a call back and actually get a job. Oh, well. Hopefully, persistance will pay off eventually! Hope you've enjoyed this addition to my story!**


	21. Restless Days Ch 21 Ch 8 Pt 14

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
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Ch. 21  
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Photographs and Memories Ch. 8 Pt 14  
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Rick walked into the office and froze. Thomas was standing, leaning forward, staring at the team photo, tears streaming down his face as he stared at Nuzo in the picture. Aware he was still dripping wet; his hand stayed about two inches away from Sebastian's face so he wouldn't get the photo wet. Wright sighed. "Tommy, Tommy...why do you keep doing this to yourself? Bast wouldn't want you to do this."

Magnum scuffed the floor with the toe of his shoe. "I can't help it, Rick. I just really miss him."

Rick slowly advanced on his friend. "We all do, Thomas. But I know it's worse for you because you two were close long before you met TC and I."

"Since Bud/s, the first time, he's the one who figured out I was hiding more of an injury than even I realized I had."

Rick froze a second time in a brief interval, staring at Thomas, startled by what he just inadvertently revealed. "Wait a minute! What in the hell are you talking about? You SEALS only get one time through Bud/s, right? You ring out, you are done. What's this 'Since Bud/s the first time' business?"

"You can be medically set back if you get sick enough or hurt serious enough and have to wait to rejoin the next Bud/s class at the same point you were forced out on the medical," Thomas explained slowly. "I'm sure I told you the whole story before, didn't I?"

"No, you DID not, my friend! But stop, right there. We will resume this tale later at the Nest after I get TC to join us there. He's going to want to hear this, too! The whole SEAL tale of Thomas Magnum and Sebastian Nuzo - how it all began."

TM smiled a sad smile. "I'm surprised Nuzo never told you the whole story one of the times I was in the hole."

"Well, he didn't. Maybe he felt it was your story to tell, not his...or maybe he just thought it should come from you, but, for whatever reason, this is a fresh tale, my friend." Rick came closer to Thomas and gently ruffled his friend's hair.

TM looked at him funny. "What are you doing?"

"I am trying to get some of the salt out of your hair, my friend. Look, go into my bathroom and take a shower, will you? You've got salt and sand all over the place up there."

Magnum crinkled his face. "Probably not just up there, by the way. I felt like I was in a washing machine on full agitator mode for a while there before I was able to pull us out of the grip of that wave. I was tumbling around trying to keep Connie's face above the water and rescue breath for her when I could. I must have slammed into a few rocks, too. I feel sandblasted if you know what I mean."

"I catch your drift, buddy boy. I'll grab you some skivvies. Put on ONLY the skivvies and the nice big fluffy robe in there - the one you like so much. I want to see how many scrapes you have that need disinfecting and first aid cream applied, okay?"

"Yes, mother." TM ribbed him.

Wright just grinned at him. "And you are ever the sulky teen!"

"Whatever, Rikki Tikki Tavi."

Rick wrinkled his nose at the nickname. "Just set your wet clothes outside the door on the floor and I'll run them through the wash and rinse cycle and dryer and you can get redressed in them when that's done, okay?"

Magnum shrugged, "Works for me."

"Shampoo your hair...uh, all of your hair, really good, Thomas. Make sure you get rid of the gritty feeling, that'll be the sand...any bigger chunks are probably the salt."

"Gotcha, Rick. Thanks, my friend."

"Hey, not a problem. It's the least I can do, in light of how you made bank for me this afternoon and how you saved the club's co-owners wife's life today. Now go, shower!"

"Yeah, sure..." Thomas went into the bathroom. In short order, the door opened and he placed the wet clothes on the floor and the door closed again.

Rick went, picked up the clothes and looking at them a moment, frowned and took them up the stairs to the stacking washer and dryer set. He lay the clothes down and began inspecting them, finding lots of small tears with blood smears around them...he decided to add a cold water quick wash and rinse to his washing the clothes and drying them routinely. The hackles of Rick's hair rose up at the number of minor scrapes Thomas must have, based on the tears in the clothes he was finding. He was beginning to revise his opinion to consider the possibility that the clothes were not going to be salvageable, but he would wait to see. He really liked this particular Hawaiian shirt on Magnum and he knew these cargo shorts, though well worn, were favorites of his friend. He hoped both could be saved, but he'd let Kumu make that call.

Wright went into his bedroom where he kept a drawer with spare clothes belonging to both Magnum and TC, just in case, one of them needed to make an emergency stay at the club...it had happened before and no doubt would again at some point. Always be prepared was not just a motto for the Boy Scouts. Marines and former Navy Seals ascribed to that motto as a basic belief system as well.

Rick sat on the bed and thought for a moment. At first, he had been frustrated by the fact Thomas had risked his life again; and, though it turned out it was the club co-owners' wife, TM hadn't known that when he went in. He never even thought about his bum shoulder. Now, to be fair, a bum shoulder didn't compare to an innocent woman losing her life, that was true, but still...did the man ever think of himself? Clearly not, and the truth was Rick admired it for him, but it made the blonde former Marine worry a little sometimes that he was going to get an ulcer from worrying about his friend. Still, he would never give up on loving and caring for his friends. It was worth everything, just to have one Thomas Magnum in his life! Feeling a tad better about everything, because he realized at that moment that no matter what, he wouldn't want Thomas Magnum to be anything, but exactly who he was and how he went about being who he was.

So, Rick resolved, no more trying to tell Thomas how to live his life. He would die fighting for TM's right to be exactly who he was. Thomas earned the right to live his life his own way long ago, as a prisoner in hell in Afghanistan, with the way he fought every minute of every day to protect his team - Rick, Nuzo and TC - from the worst deprivations and harms their captors would have visited on them. Did both TC and Rick feel Thomas had done it from misplaced guilt when he (TM) had never done anything he should feel guilty for? Yes, but damn it, TM had been totally committed to fighting for his friends and he had lived that out, daily. He had done that by taking the pain, taking the punishment, stealing food for them, doing everything he could to preserve his friends' well-being, no matter what it cost him, personally. Rick would always love the commitment TM put into the word, friend. How could he not? He, TC and Nuzo would have come out of that time in hell in far worse condition, without Thomas Sullivan Magnum the Fourth standing in the gap in front of them, fighting tooth and nail for them. The three of them had known back in Bagram that they would owe Thomas until their dying day for the man he was and how he had protected them. As far as Rick Wright was concerned, TM deserved the Medal of Honor for the things he had done for them in the 'Stan, but who cared what Rick thought? Those sorts of decisions were way above his pay grade. However, one thing Thomas surely deserved was his unfailing loyalty. Look out for TM, even when he wouldn't look out for himself, hell yeah! But, question TM's right to do it his way? Hell, no! Rick fully intended to share his new insight with TC the next time they talked.

***(*(*)*)***

**A/N: It was a very busy weekend for hubby and I the past two days. On Saturday, we went to our local zoo, of which we are members, for a special event called STAR WARS DAY at the Sacramento Zoo (I gather this event is held annually on the weekend closest to May the Fourth (as in May the Force Fourth Be With You!). It was fun, but exhausting (neither of us is a spring chicken anymore). On Sunday which was April 28th, we had another major annual event to go to - the Highland Games of Northern California in Woodland, except they don't call it the Highland Games anymore...now it is the Celtic Games.**

**Poor Randy was video recording both events with his DSLR camera, which in his case, includes at Atomos Recorder, the DSLR, a Gymbal and a microphone which combined weigh about 9 lbs, so his arms got very tired very early on Sunday...holding all that stuff steady while he videotapes is a bit of workout. Still, we have two great videos to show for it.**

**So sorry it took so long to get this up, but here's the next chapter in another story. On to Beyond the Sea and/or Magnum Family Traditions - Easter, tomorrow. Hope you liked this, y'all!**


	22. Restless Days Ch 22 Ch 8 Pt 15

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
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Ch. 22  
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Photographs and Memories Ch. 8 Part 15  
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After getting the clothes going in the cold water rinse prior to washing and drying the clothes, Rick headed downstairs to the bar to make sure Keoki didn't need anything. He heard the bartender answering the phone and saw him immediately hold it out to him. "Rick, is Magnum screwing around or what? This call says it's from Admiral Magnum's office looking for Orville Wright?"

Rick grabbed the phone and said, "Go for Wright." He held for a second and then, unconsciously straightened up and smiling, said. "Uncle Terry, how in the hell are you? What kind of question is that? Of course, your nephew is alive! In fact, he's up in my shower right now. No, no change in lifestyle, quit kidding around, will you, Uncle T? Why in the hell would you ask if Thomas is alive? He's showering in my office because he had to play a Big Damn Hero today and rescue a woman who was caught in a riptide, even though he's trying to heal from re-injuring his bad shoulder. Yeah, his left! What other shoulder does he have that is bad? No, sorry Uncle T. What?

"...Oh, about the e-mail situation, I can explain that. See Thomas doesn't have his own computer anymore. Clearly, he hasn't told you that, has he? Darn him. Yeah, what happened is that when we were missing at first, we weren't listed as missing. Thanks to Hannah, we were listed as Killed in Action. You know what happens to the belongings of those who are Killed in Action. They get shipped home.

"Tom's mom was in the hospital, so they followed the directives that were left in place by her deceased husband. Do you know what those directives were, Uncle Terry? Frank's directives were that any property that was a 'recoverable asset' be sold and the funds put in a trust fund for Thomas' mom. Any papers were to go to the family archive; any other belongings went to the Goodwill or Purple Heart Society.

"Why? Because Frank never gave a goddamn shit about our boy, Uncle T. And Tommy's mom never overrode his directives after he died, so Tommy's laptop was sold and the proceeds helped pay for the cancer treatments that killed Thomas' mom. Tom is pretty bitter about what went down, so he decided he doesn't need to replace the laptop. He can live without it.

"When he needs one for work, he just borrows Higgins' laptop on the estate. For personal use, he goes to a coffeehouse where he can rent computer time, installs a program he created that makes it secure when he wants to check his e-mails or goes to the library and follows the same routine there. He has had a lot going on lately, Uncle T. Between Hannah blowing back into our lives and everything else, he hasn't done either of the last two in a while.

"Why not check it at the estate on Higgins' laptop? Um, Uncle Terry? ...Higgins is a former MI6 and a crack operator of computers herself. Tommy has been hedging, acting like a Luddite as far as computer stuff to draw Higgins into his cases.

"Yeah, Uncle T. I know Thomas was programming computers by the time he was twelve, but Higgy doesn't and Tommy doesn't want her, too. I don't know why? It's a part of the games he likes to play.

"Why does Tommy play any of the games he plays with Higgins? He seems to be getting closer to her, but thanks to Hannah the boy is gun shy of letting anyone know the whole picture of his abilities. Hell, Higgy didn't even know he spoke Spanish for quite a while. Yeah, I know he's practically a native, but Higgy didn't. He is playing with her about how many languages he speaks. He doesn't seem to want her to know he's as smart as he is. Again, I don't know why, but no! It is not that he doesn't trust her. He's just cautious. Hell, can you blame him, after Hannah?

"Uncle T, he is not just going to let you buy him another computer. How's he going to stop you? He won't take accept the delivery, that's how. What? Look. I've got to get up there and see how much damage Thomas did to himself in the tumble of the riptide trying to ensure the woman didn't get hurt. Well, counting the holes in his shirt with blood all around them got tiresome after forty or so, so I told him to come back to the office after his shower and I'd patch him up.

"If I don't get back up there, he'll get dressed and take off on me. What? You'll be here in 15 and I should keep him here? It takes longer than 15 to get here from DC, Uncle T. You're at Pearl? You are as sneaky as your nephew. Yeah, I'm his ride back to the Nest, so I'll make sure he's here. Looking forward to seeing you. No, I won't spoil the surprise. See you soon. Bye!"

He handed the phone to Keoki and headed back upstairs before his 2nd could say anything.

***(*(*)*)*  
**

Thomas came out of the bathroom after showering clad in skivvies and the nice fluffy white bathrobe Rick had mentioned to see Rick waiting with the full medkit next to him. "Oh, come on, Rick. I'm not that bad of a mess!"

"Hey, I quit counting at forty tears in your clothes with blood surrounding them, Thomas. Sue me for being prepared for anything!"

"Forty? Really?" Magnum's voice crept up an octave, showing he was startled.

"And that wasn't the end of the holes... Just, at that point, I just gave up counting them, bro. I fully intend to be thorough in disinfecting those suckers, so be prepared for this to take some time."

"You don't think the shower was disinfecting enough...I did use soap and water, you know?"

"Tommy, ocean water this close to shore isn't exactly clean, my friend. Let me do the doctoring. You are pants at it."

"Okay, okay, Rick. Do you think the clothes are salvageable?"

"I think you'll be wearing some of the spares you keep here when I take you home...and we'll let Kumu decide if your clothes are salvageable." Seeing Thomas wince at the idea of Higgins' reaction to him coming home in different clothes, Rick grinned. "Relax, Tommy, between you and me we should be able to come up with an acceptable yarn as to why you are wearing different clothes. How about a drunk spilled booze on you and me rinsed the clothes...well, as I said, we'll come up with something..."

"You've got it, Rick. Want me standing or sitting?"

"Stand and drop the robe, so I can get a look at what we are dealing with."

Magnum shook his head, smiling. "I really should consider a gig with Chippendales with the amount I am disrobing for others lately." He undid the robe and tossed it on the settee. Rick winced as he saw the bruises and small wounds littering his friend's body.

"Whoa, my friend. Buckle up, this is going to take a while! You are a mess of wounds, TM. Doesn't that hurt?"

"The only easy day...is yesterday." Thomas retorted. "That's practically the motto of the Seals, Rick. 'No pain' isn't a part of the gig."

"Yea, but you aren't an active duty SEAL anymore babe!" Wright pointed out.

Thomas snorted, "You can take the man out of the SEALS, but that doesn't take the SEAL out of the man, my friend."

"That's for damn sure, Tommy!" And Rick set to work.

***(*(*)*)***

A/N: Well, we had fun this weekend over at Sierra College in Rocklin, CA. They had a Robotics Expo that featured Battlebots in a miniature fight ring (like the show Battlebots on Discovery and Science Channel). All kind of Robotics displays including Kids who are programming and developing their own robots (they had one designed by a kid to put fires out...that was really pretty cool! There were three teams who are from Northern California that appear regularly on Battlebots. One from Oakland, one from Rocklin and one is a prison guard out at Folsom Prison which is where I used to work. The funny thing? The one from Folsom Prison comes across as kind of an overly aggressive jerk on the show, but he was really, really nice getting into a long, involved discussion with us about the design and function of his bot and explaining a lot of details. He was extremely nice and friendly...the complete opposite of what you would think of the owner/operator/designer of TOMBSTONE! The show will be back in June on both Discovery and Science Channel and boy are we looking forward to it! It was a great event and lot of fun!

Hope you like this chapter! I am introducing a character I made up (I think), Thomas' Uncle Terry (short for Terrence) who is an Admiral in the Navy! Hope you like the one-sided introduction from Rick's phone call. We'll see more of him in the next chapter!


	23. Restless Days Ch 23 Ch 8 Pt 16

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
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Ch. 23

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Photographs and Memories Ch. 8 Part 16

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It took a lot longer than 15 minutes for Rick to finish doctoring all the lacerations on Magnum's back, shoulders, and legs. Rick hoped Keoki had stashed Admiral Magnum somewhere where TM wouldn't spot him right away when he came downstairs. Once he finished his doctoring, he gave Magnum the clothes and told him to get dressed and join him downstairs. Rick hurried downstairs because he wanted Keoki to video Magnum's reaction when his Uncle revealed himself, so TC could see it later.

Keoki jumped on him as soon as he emerged from the stairway. "How come you never told me that Thomas had an Uncle who was an Admiral?"

Rick shrugged. "I just never thought to tell you honestly, Keoki. Thomas always points out his Uncle's achievement in being an Admiral, isn't his. He doesn't deserve any credit for it. Anyway, Keoki, get your fancy iPhone X out and be ready to video Thomas' reaction when his Uncle makes himself know...'cause otherwise TC is going to be really bummed to have missed it."

"Sure, no problem. He's over in the shadows back there; - Uncle Terry; it feels weird calling Magnum's Uncle that when he's an Admiral, but that's what he insisted I call him."

Wright grinned. "That's Terrence Magnum, anyone associated and even vaguely friendly to his nephew he adopts as family. No formality, no standing on rank."

"So, just like Tommy, huh?"

"Where do you think, Tommy, got it from?" Rick smiled at Keoki. "Uncle Terry is a great guy. I can't wait for Thomas to come down. I love knowing something Tommy doesn't!" He heard steps on the stairs and hid his face not wanting his expression to give things away to his Magnum. He bent over like he was inventorying the under counter supplies.

Thomas came out the door to Rick's office, which also led upstairs. He meandered over to where Keoki stood behind the bar. He frowned at Rick bending over. "What are you doing, Rick? I know it isn't inventory day!"

A booming voice said, "There's my nephew."

Immediately, Keoki brought up his iPhone and was filming as the years seemed to drop off Thomas' face and a youthful boy seemed to take his place, as he broke out in a delighted grin and spun to face his uncle, crying out. "Uncle Terry?"

Terrence Magnum looked every inch the delighted uncle, not an Admiral even though he was in uniform as he clutched TM in a fierce hug, holding him tightly. Unable to say any more for a few moments as the relief at holding his nephew in his arms was obvious. The contrast between the pair was obvious though, Terrence Magnum was pushing 6 feet 5 inches tall and had sandy brown hair, while Thomas was clearly shorter, dark-haired and golden-skinned instead of a paler white man. The taller man had a bushy mustache and bright blue eyes, while Thomas was clean shaven and had sparkling brown eyes, but the smile lines around their eyes and their mannerisms spoke of a close relationship. "I've been getting frantic, trying to reach you, Tommy boy, but you weren't answering my e-mails! I was getting worried."

"Oh, about that..." Magnum looked like a little boy caught breaking his neighbor's window with his misthrown baseball. "Um..."

"Relax, Thomas. Rick has already explained what was going on."

"You could have reached me anytime by calling."

"Tommy, I'm getting old. I would always think of calling at the wrong time courtesy of the time difference between DC and Hawaii, my boy-o. I'd think I've got to call Tommy and it would be 2 in the morning here."

"Like I'd care if you woke me up, Uncle T!" Magnum retorted.

"It's better being here where I can hold you!"

"God, it is sooooo good to see your face, Uncle Terry."

"The same for me, boy-O, it has been too long since I've seen this face. How in the hell are you?"

"If I know Rick, he already told you about my shoulder and my back, Uncle T." Tommy retorted.

"Yeah, he did, but it's clear he doesn't know what the doctors at Pearl told you."

Magnum made a shushing motion. "I've got a plan for that, Terry."

Rick's head came up and he looked sharply at Thomas. "What's going on?"

"So are you here on leave or business, Uncle Terry?" Thomas pointedly ignored Rick's query.

"A combination of both, actually, Thomas...and both involve you, Rick, TC and your friend Higgins, if you agree to my proposition."

Thomas wagged his eyebrows at his Uncle. "You're here to proposition us?"

"Yep!" Magnum's uncle retorted, popping the P in the word.

"So where are you staying?" Magnum asked.

"Oh, I'm here without your Aunt or the girls, so I'll just kip out at the BOQ."

"Like hell, you will, Uncle T. You are staying at the estate with me."

"That's what Robin said when I talked to him on the phone."

"Wait, you had an invite from Robin Masters and you thought you'd kip at the BOQ? Silly Uncle!" Magnum chortled.

"Well, I didn't want to piss off the Major Domo you wrote about a while back."

"Aw, Higgins is a lot better now. I'm bringing her around bit by bit."

"Working the old Magnum charm on her, are you, Tommy boy?"

"No, I think she's impervious to the charm, Uncle T. But, she's worked quite a few of my cases with me and that seems to have warmed her up to me a bit. You'll meet her later." TM looked at Rick. "We're going to have to get TC back, so we can pick up Uncle T's stuff at Pearl and take him out to the Nest. Cause you can't fit all of us in the Porsche, Rick."

"Don't worry, I'll call TC and let him know Thomas," Wright assured him. "It's great having you here, Terry!"

"It may be about to become an ongoing thing."

"Are you planning on leaving the Pentagon, Uncle Terry?" Tommy asked, right away.

"All will be revealed after I tell you my proposition and all that is involved this evening, but we'll start with dinner out at the best Steakhouse you can find."

Rick cut in. "I know just the place!"

Terry grinned. "I figured you would, Orville Wright!"

Rick tolerated Magnum's Uncle calling him Orville with an indulgent smile and moving away from the two reunited family members, walked away a bit before he hit the Avatar to call TC, having already forwarded his friend the video of the Tommy-Terry reunion. TC picked up real fast. "Uncle Terry is in town?"

"Yea, I just found out a short time ago myself, when he called here. Can you come by and pick him and Magnum up to take them by Pearl to pick up his stuff because Thomas doesn't want him staying at the BOQ at the base?"

"Sure. I'll be back shortly, Rick."

"Plan on staying a while. Uncle Terry wants to take us all out to dinner at the best Steakhouse on Oahu! Plus he wants to proposition us, whatever that means."

TC's smile was obvious in his response. "You got it! See you soon. As to the proposition, I shall wait with bated breath."

Rick grinned at the comment. "Yeah, me, too…anything from Uncle Terry is liable to be a good thing."

***(*(*)*)***

A/N: Notice anything amusing about the description of Terrence Magnum above. He-he-he! Had to get him in there somewhere. Lol!


	24. Restless Days Ch 24 Ch 8 Pt 17

Restless Days and Restless Nights

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Ch. 24

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Photographs and Memories Ch. 8 Part 17

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Thomas excused himself from his Uncle and told Rick he needed to use his office again, briefly.

When Rick told him, 'Mi casa, su casa, amigo.' Tommy grinned and trotted up the stairs. Rick correctly guessed he was going to call Higgins to let her know his Uncle was coming.

Once upstairs, Thomas hit the button to call Higgins. "Hi, Higgy. I - um - I just wanted to let you know, my Uncle Terrence is in town for a while and I'm going to have him stay with me in the guest house if that is okay?"

"Magnum, I told you, it's your home...of course, you can have your Uncle stay with you...or you could both stay up at the main house where he can have a bedroom to himself?"

"Oh, that's not necessary. I can sleep on the couch and he can have the bedroom upstairs while he is here. It's just so great to see him."

"He's welcome to use the Land Rover or one of the other cars while he is here as well, Thomas. Robin said he was to have whatever he needed to make his stay like he was at home. You never told me your Uncle is an Admiral."

"It never really came up, Higgins. I was sooo surprised to see him - surprised and happy. I adore my Uncle Terry."

"I'm looking forward to meeting him. See you soon."

"It'll be a while, we have to swing by Pearl and pick up his stuff, once TC gets back from the hospital. There's more room in the van. Rick can't really bring us in the Porsche, you know? Oh, Uncle Terry wants to take us all (you and Kumu, too) out to dinner at the best Steakhouse tonight, okay?"

"That's sweet of him."

"Hey, he's got a Washington expense account, so technically we are all paying - our taxes anyway." Magnum grinned. "Just so you know, I'm wearing different clothes, because..." He sighed, but went with honesty, "See, I was outside, talking to TC and I heard a scream. I looked around and a woman was caught in a riptide."

Higgins groaned. 'You didn't. Let me guess, you went to the rescue, didn't you?"

"I had to, Higgins; she had gone down for the third time, by the time I reached her as it was!"

"But Rick has a lifeguard at the beach, doesn't he?"

"Yes, ma'am, but he was helping a father who had two little kids also caught in the same riptide."

"Oh, I understand than. Are you alright? You didn't get further injured, did you?"

"Not really - scrapes, bruises, and some minor lacerations...well, over 40 according to Rick."

"Forty lacerations? Good grief, Magnum. You should go to the hospital."

"They're little things, Higgy, really. I'm just hoping I can salvage the clothes."

"Oh, for God's sake, Thomas. I'll replace the bloody clothes!"

"I just got these shorts perfectly broken in and comfortable, Higgins." TM could practically hear the woman rolling her eyes at his remark. "Anyway, we'll see you in a bit, okay?"

"Looking forward to meeting your Uncle, Magnum."

"Let Kumu know about the invitation, okay?"

"Absolutely, she's just returned from the Cultural Center a short time ago. I'll tell her now. See you in a bit, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am. See you soon."

"Take care, Thomas."

***(*(*)*)***

Thomas went back downstairs and saw that TC had arrived and was hugging his Uncle Terry. He smiled at the easy rapport his Uncle had with his friends, his brothers, really. They had met Terry first, in Germany, when his Uncle, Aunt, and nieces came to visit him when they were all hospitalized there. The guys had fallen in love with his family - at the way they had just enfolded Rick, Nuzo, and TC into the family unit. Color, rank, branch of service, none of it had mattered one whit to the Magnum clan. They were family, just like that. And so it had been ever since.

The guys always got a package at Christmas, just like Thomas. They got gifts and cards on their birthdays from his family. Rick had been especially moved at that. TC had cried the first time he got a package at Christmas...his own blood family didn't send him stuff, but the Magnums' had ever since they first met him. That's how his family was and Thomas was so grateful for the family he had. Inclusive and loving were two words that came to mind whenever he thought of them. It wasn't large, but it was an extremely loving group.

Rick sidled over to Thomas. "You get it cleared with Higgins that Uncle Terry is staying with you?"

"You know me too well, Rick. Oh, I told her about me wearing different clothes and why, so she knows about my misadventure in the water, okay?"

"You wanted her to have time to get over being mad about it before we got there, didn't you?"

"Do you blame me?"

"Hell, no. Smart guy that you are, you figured that out on your own. I think that was really smart of you, buddy."

"Thanks, Rick...for everything."

"Hey, family, brother. We're family."

"Always," Thomas replied easily.

TC finally released Terry and smiled at Thomas. "It's great to have Uncle Terry here, isn't it, TM?"

"Absolutely. How's Connie?"

"Oh, she's fine. No permanent damage. The doctors wanted to keep her overnight, but her hubby is with her and I decided to head on back once I got Rick's video of you meeting up with Terry again. I explained to her and her husband why I was going and they said to tell you "Thank you so much." from both of them again."

Thomas smiled. "I'm just glad she's alright."

"I know, buddy. I know. She wouldn't have been without your fast reaction, though, Thomas...they said she had a lot of saltwater in her lungs and it will take a while for her to reabsorb that salt that's left in there after a near drowning like that! So, no alcohol for a few days and lots and lots of water to drink to flush her system out."

"I'm just glad I was able to help."

"BDH!" TC teased him.

"Nothing heroic about it." TM shrugged.

"Bullshit!" TC retorted with a grin. "Now turn around, I want to see the damage."

Thomas rolled his eyes but turned and TC was frowning when he turned back. "You are a mess of little knicks, bruises, and lacerations, buddy."

"I know, TC. Rick spent long enough disinfecting and putting first aid cream on all of them to write the great American Novel, but I'll be fine."

"I bet you are going to be stiff and sore in the AM, Thomas."

"Probably. It won't be the first time and it almost certainly won't be the last." Magnum replied. "I'll be fine tomorrow once I take a nice hot shower."

"Okay, Thomas."

"So, for dinner, we'll be going to Wolfgang's Steakhouse over at the Royal Hawaiian Center," Rick advised the two of them. "I already talked to Delphine, the hostess there and got us set up with a private room for our group, okay?"

"Nice!" TC said, easily.

"Wolfgang is in town and he says anything we need, anything special, just let him know."

"Great, Rick. Thanks." Thomas smiled at his friend, who knew everybody on the Island it seemed sometimes.  
***(*(*)*)***

**A/N: Today was a very good day. I got another interview with the job I really want at AFLAC for next Tuesday at 2:00 PM PDT. Excited for that. Plus I also got a phone interview with Randstand about a temporary job that wouldn't begin until June 10th, so if AFLAC doesn't make a job offer, I have another possibility lined up. Plus, I got 12, 586 steps in today (my goal daily is 10,000 so I did good today!). Wonder if my son will call on Mother's Day. Lol!**


	25. Restless Days Ch 25 Ch 8 Pt 18

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
***(*(*)*)***

Ch. 25  
***(*(*)*)***

Photographs and Memories Ch. 8 Part 18  
***(*(*)*)***

Thomas, his Uncle Terry, TC, and Rick left things in Keoki's capable hands and took off for Pearl. Rick was telling Uncle Terry about the St. Patrick's Day celebration Tommy had held this year, starting by telling him about going to St. Patrick's Cathedral that Sunday morning, how Thomas was corralled into playing guitar and singing "Be Thou My Vision" for the service and how Mike Murphy had used the occasion to gift Thomas with the Taylor guitar. Terry was thrilled for his nephew, to hear he'd been gifted such an excellent guitar. He loved when Thomas played the guitar and sang.

Thomas explained he'd named her Sarah...

Terry exploded into chuckles of laughter, "Your aunt will be honored!" This was because Terry's wife's full maiden name was Sarah Annabelle McLeod, though she was Irish, not Scottish. The family generally called her Annie, but Thomas had always preferred to call her Auntie Sarah. He just loved the sound of the name, Sarah. "I think my nephew is in love...with a guitar!"

Rick and TC both grinned. "Thomas is definitely in love with his guitar."

TC continued the story. "When he and Rick got home from church, we helped him set up for the cèilidh that afternoon/evening on the lawns at the Nest. Tommy had made Corned Beef and baby red potatoes with separate containers of cabbage for those who prefer full traditional. He made Irish soda bread and shortbread from scratch, enough for everybody."

Terry groaned. "I missed your soda bread and shortbread...oh, I'm sorry for that. I bet it was a wonderful cèilidh, Tommy, mi boy-o."

TC snapped his fingers. "Rick, I'll get Shammy to send me the video. Can't materialize the soda bread and shortbread, or the corned beef and baby reds, but I can definitely let Uncle Terry see the video of the cèilidh!"

"Oh, cool," Rick interjected. "I can show it on the wall with my new phone projector."

Thomas smiled tolerantly. "You and your tech-y toys, Rick."

"Hey, it's cool!" Rick retorted.

"I'm sure, Orville."

"Oh, Tommy boy, how could you do me like that?"

Magnum just grinned and let go a laugh.

Terrence smiled at his nephew's somewhat twisted sense of humor. "Thomas Sullivan Magnum the Fourth, play nice with your friends."

Magnum made a face. "Orville Wilbur Wright is a perfectly good name and Orville and Wilbur were pivotal to the development of aviation...he should be proud to bear their names. Granted Orville isn't a popular name anymore, but it's a good show on Fox, the Orville?"

"Great show...not a good name for a kid in this day and age...trust me!" Rick snapped, peevishly, "the amount I got bullied over that name!"

Thomas snorted and both he and Rick started laughing at each other and hugged. Terry just grinned at their antics. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a parking sticker and told TC to put it up in his window and they would breeze through the entrance at Pearl. TC put the recommended actions in place, and, when they pulled up to the gate at Pearl, they were waved through without any of the usual rigmarole, just salutes all around and they sped towards the Bachelor Officer Quarters on Pearl. It took the Admiral just a few moments to get his duffle and they were all on their way to Robin's Nest. As they pulled away from Pearl, Terry looked over into the back seat where Rick and Thomas were talking in low tones and began to sing, "The coffee in the Army..."

Rick and Magnum responded with the next line, "They said was mighty fine...fine for cuts and bruises..."

TC joined in, "It tastes like i-o-dine..." All the men sang together, "I don't want no more of army life...gee, ma, I want to go home."

Magnum chimed in with the next verse. "The rolls in the Navy they said were mighty fine..."

Rick looked at him funny, never having heard this verse before, as the younger Magnum went on, "one rolled off the table, and killed a pal of mine," Rick busted up laughing. "I don't want no more of Navy life, gee, ma, I want to go home."

TC chimed in, "And we did!" They all chuckled. It was nice to see the boys all relaxed and happy, so different from the last time, in Germany, when Thomas had been so ill and still so thin after the camps. It had been hard to see his boy so beaten down and sad after the betrayal by Hannah and the time in the camps where he had been burdened down by the loss of freedom and suffering of his friends as well as his own.

Rick, TC, and Nuzo had all told him how Thomas had blamed himself and constantly run interference to protect them at the cost of being put in the hole again and again and again - more often than not post being beaten, abused in various ways, and often tortured. That it had bothered Thomas' three brothers terribly what Thomas had put himself through was not surprising; but, to Terrence Magnum, who knew his nephew so well, there had been no other way his boy would have reacted other than to blame himself and do exactly as he had done. It was the type of leader he had been raised to be. To put his men, his fellows, above his own needs, came as naturally to a Magnum as being in the Navy, which was practically the only family career course.

TC pointed out some points of interest beside the road they were driving along which made him think about Thomas and himself plans for the next day, so he said, "Hey, TM, we'll reschedule our get together tomorrow for after Uncle Terry has gone home."

"Wait a moment, what is this now?" The admiral queried. "Perhaps check with me before you go moving things around, boy-o!"

"Oh, it's no big deal. Thomas was just going to help me come up with a new tour route to add to the mix I have for my guided tour flights."

"No, TC, Uncle Terry is here for both business and to visit, so I'm sure we can manage both." The younger Magnum came back in response. "I have at least planned one whole thing out already - even a brochure you can put out to hotels and stuff advertising it and ideas of where to publish articles about it."

"Oh, intriguing...so what's the theme?"

Thomas warmed to his task. "Well, I was going to save it until I could take you through the actual tour during a flight, but okay. Picture this - coming in over Pearl on the exact route flown by the Japanese attacking on December 7th, 1941. I've talked to the various authorities and know what permissions we'll have to get and everything."

Uncle Terry interjected. "Whoa, that's a real money maker of an idea, TC. Best to jump on that one. The tours that come to go to Pearl Harbor for a memorial, to visit the memorial, or for remembrance, you'd have all kinds of people lining up for that tour." Turning to his nephew, he asked. "Is this related to the thesis you wrote while at the Academy?"

"Not exactly, but sort of?" Magnum shrugged, dismissively.

"Did you know they still use your thesis, analysis, and illustrations to teach that section of Naval history at the Academy, buck-o?" Terrence asked.

"Really? Still? I figured they found something else since then!" Thomas seemed a tad uncomfortable at the revelation.

"They say there's been nothing better, before or since," Terrence said firmly.

Rick couldn't help it, his lips curled in a grin at how uncomfortable Thomas was at the revelation a work he had done for a grade back in the Academy days was still used as a teaching tool at the Naval Academy. Magnum truly didn't think his work would last that long, but clearly, it was still found valuable by those teaching the courses at the school. "Quit being so unduly modest, Thomas!" Wright chortled.

Magnum shrugged, discomfited still.

"Young man," His uncle said rather sternly. "That paper and the analysis in it was so spot on, so well written and precise. That is why the first assignment you pulled out of the Academy was Naval Intelligence!"

"Oh, yeah?" Thomas challenged his Uncle. "Then why did they want to use me as a field agent right away? Not as an analyst, which is what I agreed to when I accepted the assignment."

Uncle Terry shook his head, reprovingly. "That was compliments of your gift with languages, Tommy. You were a dream for field work…you were fluent in so many languages and with the Middle East heating up and your knowledge of Islam and understanding of the different factions, you were an agency dream for slipping into mosques and spotting terrorist recruiters…and you know that perfectly well."

Thomas frowned. "I was still being asked to SPY on people merely trying to exercise the religious rights our constitution guarantees, Uncle Terry. That felt and still feels totally wrong."

"How many young men do you think you saved from joining up with ISIS or the Muslim Brotherhood or the Jihadi's, Thomas?" The admiral demanded.

Reluctantly, Thomas replied. "Look, I'm not saying I didn't help quite a few not make that mistake, Uncle T. I just didn't like it in principle, you know that." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Can we drop this? Please…"

Terrence smiled. "Of course, mi boy-o. Sorry I got on it in the first place."

"Oh, that's okay, Uncle Terry. No harm, no foul."

***(*(*)*)***

**A/N: Sorry, my muse is hung up on this story right now. I've fallen in love with the storyline and Uncle Terry and haven't quite been able to break free yet. Hope you all don't mind too much. None of the other storylines are abandoned, I do have things I want to write on them, but right now, Uncle Terry wants his time!**


	26. Restless Days Ch 26 Ch 8 Pt 19

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
***(*(*)*)***

Ch. 26

***(*(*)*)***

Photographs and Memories Ch. 8 Part 19  
***(*(*)*)***

Thomas grinned, now over his momentary funk. "So TC, what do you think of my idea?"

"I can't wait for the demo flight, now that you've told me about it, Thomas. It sounds great and I think I might need a second chopper and another pilot way sooner than I thought once I add this tour."

TM grinned. "That was the idea. I even have an idea for the new pilot. Remember Eddie Cipriano?"

"Oh, yeah. Eddie is a great pilot. Is he out of the VA hospital with that infection in his leg stump?"

"Oh, I picked him up and took him home a week ago," Thomas replied. "I had rented a van and moved him to a new apartment I got lined up for him with Robin's help when I knew he was almost ready to get out of the hospital. It's a first level apartment and should work for him much better while his stump heals so he can get back up on his prosthetic."

Rick and TC both frowned. "Magnum, we would have been glad to help you move Eddie's stuff if we'd known it was getting close to him being able to come home..." Rick spoke for both of them.

Thomas shook his head. "Rick, you had those bachelorette parties right in a row that were so crazy and, TC, you were getting prepped for your dad to visit...and yeah, I know that didn't happen, but you didn't know that at the time, so I handled it. I figured I owed you guys one for the time I couldn't help out with the house project. Anyway, I hired a couple of the guys who hang out at the VA and are still trying to readjust to being stateside again, to help me out."

"Wait...what'd you use for money to do all that?" TC demanded.

"I got some money out of my foundation for it. The money from the back pay we got after we self-liberated from the prison camp should go to help other vets is the way I look at it." Thomas shrugged.

Uncle Terry frowned at his nephew as he said. "I never understood why you rolled all that pay into the foundation, Tommy, my boy. You earned that money in suffering and pain and time lost with your family. You could have gotten a new computer long ago with some of that."

Rick made a face. "Thomas has a hang-up about that money, Uncle Terry. He thinks it's tainted by that time and doesn't want to touch it, except very, very rarely. TC and I have both used ours, but Magnums' are stubborn!"

Thomas just shuddered and ignored the comments from his Uncle and Rick about the money, and plunged ahead. "So, anyway, it's taken care of and Eddie is all settled in. His stump is looking a lot better now. I got him a heat lamp which seems to be really helping it heal quicker. I've taken him to PT twice this week and they have him put it in the special Jacuzzi for it with Epson salts and they suggested the heat lamp too, so that's what we've been doing."

"Glad you're helping him out, Thomas, and once he's cleared to resume work, I could give him some hours if it would help him." TC offered, "He's got to keep his hours up or he'll have to recertify."

"Oh, he knows that. They are trying to get him back up and to it as soon as they can. He was ahead on his hours before this whole mess began, so he's still good."

"That's great. I'll update Shammy. Thanks for helping out our Marine, TM."

"Hey, he's a brother!" Thomas replied easily. "Branch of service doesn't matter. All those who served in country are our brothers, you guys know that."

TC smiled at his friend, eyes meeting in the mirror. "I know, Thomas, I know. Just makes me love you more, brother!"

Rick reached over and mussed Thomas' hair up. "Who's a good boy?" He teased.

Magnum mimed that he was a puppy which cracked all the other guys in the van up. He grinned, content that the subject of his back pay was forgotten for now.

However, Terrence Magnum frowned slightly, well aware of the distraction technique his nephew had just used. He was still amused at the lad's antics though and proud of what Thomas had done for his fellow Vets, so he'd leave it lie for now...as he had a plan for dealing with the issue soon enough.

The turnoff for Robin's Nest loomed shortly and the gates were swinging open long before TC could roll down his van's window. Rick chortled from the back seat. "Higgy is rolling out the red carpet for you, Uncle Terry."

"Hey, baby..." TC retorted. "Steak dinner talks."

"Actually, Higgins really is rolling out the red carpet, Uncle Terry." Thomas corrected both his friends, "She says you can use any of the cars while you're here and that she wants you to feel like you are in your own home. She even offered you a bedroom in the main house, but I told her you can have my bedroom and I can sleep on that really comfy couch in the living room."

"Oh, Tommy, with your shoulder hurting, I don't want you kipping on the couch, boy-o."

Rick corrected in. "Trust us, Uncle Terry, it's no sacrifice. The couch really is comfy...all three of us have kipped the night on there after a rough one and we slept like bugs in a rug."

Thomas nodded vigorously. "That's true, Uncle T. Plus I don't want to lose any time I can hang with you to you being off in the main house, please!"

Terrence Magnum gave in at the puppy dog eye's his nephew was giving him. "Okay, boy-o...okay. I never could resist those eyes! I'll stay with you. As for the cars, I'd rather ride with you in that Ferrari you've told me about...that sounds like a kick!"

"You'll love it, Terry." Rick declared. "Get you to Pearl in way less time than a staff car, I can promise you!"

The younger Magnum grinned. "That's for damn sure, Uncle T!"

Terrence Magnum laughed; he enjoyed these boys together so much. He loved his two girls, but there was something to be said for hanging around with battle-tested men like these three were. He thought sadly of the missing member of the group and resolved to ask Thomas to take him to the Punch Bowl to remember Sebastian Nuzo as soon as possible.  
***(*(*)*)***

**A/N: Technically, this is alt universe now, you all realize that, right? I invented Uncle Terry and he'll be an addition that will go on so I will have to figure out a way to break this story out and start an alt-universe section of this, right?**


	27. Restless Days Ch 27 Ch 8 Pt 20

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
***(*(*)*)***

Ch. 27  
***(*(*)*)***

Photographs and Memories Ch. 8 Part 20  
***(*(*)*)***

Higgins was standing by the main house, waiting to greet Magnum, his Uncle, and the boys. She had on a pretty floral dress and strappy, low-heeled, teal sandals. Thomas thought she looked really nice. He found himself thinking that more and more often lately.

Tricky and dangerous waters ahead, he thought to himself. Hannah is still out there somewhere. 'Cool your jets, big T!' He ordered himself, but he smiled at Higgins as he alighted from the van.

Terrence Magnum was already introducing himself to the majordomo. "I gather you must be Juliet Higgins. I am Terrence Andrew Magnum. And yes, I am aware my initials are TAM and I was called Tammy way too often in grade school which is why I usually leave my middle name out, but..."

"I wasn't going to mention the initials and what they spelled out, Admiral Magnum. I was merely going to say, "Welcome to Robin's Nest." "

"Oh, sorry, my dear. Oops, that was terribly sexist, isn't it? I hope you'll forgive that."

"Admiral Magnum, there is nothing to forgive. I am very glad to meet you." Juliet Higgins assured the older man. "My, you are a tall one."

"Yes, I'm afraid Thomas got his height genes from his mother's side of the family, but his work ethic is strictly Magnum."

Being Higgins, she couldn't resist snarking, "I'm not sure you want to claim that."

Thomas crinkled his face at her. "Gee, thanks, Higgins. That hurt."

"I'm teasing and you know it, Thomas Sullivan Magnum!" The woman snorted at him, smiling. "BDH!"

"Oh, Lord! The guys taught YOU that, too." Magnum groaned. TC and Rick came up behind him and hugged him from the back side. All three wound up laughing together again.

Terrence smiled indulgently at his nephew and his friends. "Want to show me to the guest house, my boy-o?"

"Sorry, Uncle Terry." Magnum took his uncle's duffle bag from TC and led the way. Higgins watched them go, shaking her head at Magnum's antics.  
***(*(*)*)***

Once in the guest house, Thomas showed his Uncle around, stowing the older man's duffle up in the bedroom. He went back downstairs and opened the refrigerator door, grinning to see the corned beef and baby red potatoes on the shelf. "Uncle Terry, tonight you may take us to steak dinner, but tomorrow, I am making us all corned beef and baby red potatoes, soda bread, and shortbread!"

Terry Magnum came up behind his nephew and hugged him. "Sounds good, boy-o mine!"

Higgins who had wandered in behind the gents chuckled. "My goodness, Admiral Magnum, you practically sound Irish."

"Comes from being married to Irishwoman for 40 plus years, Ms. Higgins," Terrence replied with a smile. "But, Tommy here has been my boy-o since the day he was born...and so he always will be! I was the first person to hold him after he was born, besides the doctor who caught him." The older Magnum explained. "When they put him in my hands, he immediately reached over and grabbed the finger of my hand that was curled around him." He smiled as he remembered.

As they talked, the two were walking from the guest house towards the main house. "His big brown eyes locked on mine with a laser focus, like a missile locked on target, and his other little hand reached up and grabbed onto my nose and held on for dear life. Something inside me felt truly complete for the first time ever and," he shrugged, misty-eyed, "I was totally gone. This little boy had just claimed my heart. He will always be my boy. I wrote my brother and told him all about his son's birth and told him, 'Thomas Sullivan Magnum the third, I know full well he is YOUR son, but he's also my boy...and he always will be.' "

"What did your brother have to say about that?" Higgins asked, curiously.

"He made me the boy's godfather and told me there was more than enough love to go around...and there always has been." Terrence Magnum assured her. "I love Tommy like he's my own son and I always will."

Juliet smiled. "I'm glad he has that. No wonder he adores you."

"It's a mutual adoration society, I assure you, Higgins." The senior Magnum assured her. "So, what do you make of my boy-o...and be honest, Miss Higgins."

"Well, bear in mind, before he arrived, all Mr. Masters told me was that a friend of his was coming to live in the guest house of the estate indefinitely, that he was a former Navy SEAL who had been through a very tough time with his three friends in Afghanistan, held by the Taliban for 18 months and 11 days before they managed to escape, and I was to "handle with care"." She made air quotes as she said those last few words. She went on, "He told me the White Knight of his novels was based on your nephew and his adventures as a SEAL."

The older Magnum snorted, "Loosely...with many liberties taken for 'creative license'.

"Oh, I realize that. He makes him sound like a crack programmer and computer analyst which is clearly all made up."

"Oh, that part isn't made up. Have you ever heard of the Regenesis reverse identity program, Miss Higgins?"

"Of course, MI6 used to dream of getting their hands on even a poor rip-off of that program," Higgins responded.

"Thomas wrote that program his 2nd year at the Naval Academy to improve backstop identities for our Naval Intelligence Assets."

"Magnum?" Juliet was incredulous.

"He has good reason to hide his abilities, Miss Higgins. He hasn't always liked what his programs were used for, so he cut way back on what programming he was willing to do, even for our government by his 3rd year at the Academy."

"Where did he learn to program?" She asked curiously, "At the Academy? I wasn't aware the Naval Academy had that advanced a computer programming education program?"

"Oh, Tommy started teaching himself programming when he was 10-1/2. He was scouted by MIT when he was a little over 11, but then Frank married his mother and Tommy was sent away to an undisclosed military school."

Juliet looked at the older Magnum with shock on her face. "What do you mean, undisclosed?"

"I mean, Frank Pinkner refused to tell my sister-in-law, my father, myself or anyone from the family the name, address and phone number of the military school he had sent our boy too!" The senior Magnum retorted, the anger at that still clear in his voice. "I was frantically looking at every military prep school on the East coast...there are a lot of them.

"Having no damn luck, until 6 months into his first year away, I got a tip from a friend who had gotten a gig coaching baseball at a small military academy that took boys that young called Shimer in Mt. Carroll, Illinois. It was a school that didn't have a very good reputation for looking after the boys there. He advised me, there was a scrappy young player on the baseball team, Hispanic, but fluent in English, Spanish, French, and German who said his name was Thomas Sullivan Magnum the Fourth. I flew to Illinois immediately. It was my boy alright, but he'd been through hell. He didn't know we didn't know where he was. He didn't know why he wasn't hearing from his family. He was distant and quiet when I showed up, acting very unlike himself. I took him out of that school (technically, illegally) and took him back to Virginia. He couldn't go back to his home; Frank was living there with his mother, so I took him to my home. He came down ill...turned out he'd been being bullied unmercifully at that school. He had 4 broken ribs and various injuries."

Here the man stopped for a moment, appearing overcome by emotion. "They had attempted to sexually molest him. Tommy fought them off, but he'd been beaten badly in the effort. He was confused and traumatized, obviously. He never would talk about the details of what happened to us or to the police, but it must have been horrendous for him. I went to the Magnum farm where Pinkner was ensconced and decked the bastard and told him what had happened to my boy. I said, if he insisted on staying the course of sending Thomas away to military prep schools, I would be choosing the schools and the summer programs and he would be coming home to either my house or his grandparents' house for at least a month every year. I'd make sure he didn't come by his home during that time, but Pinkner was no longer going to get away with keeping him isolated from his family."

"Why in the hell was he that way about Thomas? Why send him away at all?"

"Honestly, Higgins, I haven't a clue. I never got to know the man that well. He kept Tommy's mom isolated from us for the most part. I think he was jealous of anyone else being near his woman. He was a control freak. I feared he might be abusing Tommy's mom, but could never talk to her one on one alone, so we'll never know for sure. After Frank died, she wouldn't talk about it. She did say he left her two days before their honeymoon cruise ended, claiming he had business stuff to attend to and when he met her prior to disembarking, he had told her that he had found Thomas a wonderful military prep school to attend and she wasn't to worry about her son as he was having all sorts of fun."

"Are you saying his mother hadn't given her consent for this?" Higgins was shocked.

"She never gave her permission for any of it, Miss Higgins." The Admiral shook his head. "The man spirited away her son and went out of his way to keep him away from his family, but especially his mother, as much as possible, for the rest of Pinkner's life. That doesn't sound to me like a by-product of a happy marriage."

"No, it does not."

"I'd appreciate you not telling Thomas any of this. Losing his mother while he was a prisoner was hard enough on him, knowing I suspect there may have been abuse and controlling going on - he doesn't need to know that. There is nothing we can do about it now."

"Of course, Admiral. Mum's the word."

Thomas came in just a few moments later. "This is where you went, Uncle Terrence. Higgy, no stealing my Uncle now!"

"He's delightful, Magnum. I can see why you adore him."

"Uh-huh, why were my ears burning the entire time you were with him? Uncle T., you haven't been telling tales out of school, have you?"

"Thomas, you admitted you consider Higgins part of your 'family' here, so what could I tell her that she doesn't know already?"

"You better not have shown her the baby pictures on the bearskin rug, Uncle T."

Higgins started laughing. "Oh, blackmail material. Pony up, Uncle T."

"No way," Thomas said, his pugnacious stance just making Higgins laugh more heartily. He liked the musicality of her laughter, which made him smile at her. "I know where he'll be sleeping, Higgy. You don't want to be short-sheeted with a side of cornflakes, do you?"

"Thomas Sullivan Magnum," Higgins warmed up, "you will not..."

"Kidding, Higgy... I wouldn't do that to my Uncle."

"Why not? You have before." The Admiral said dryly, sending Higgins into further peals of laughter.

"You two." She remarked, delightedly.

"Well, I have to change my sheets before you head to bed anyway, Uncle T," Thomas replied. "I went for a run before I went to bed last night and I didn't shower before I crawled under the covers."

"Actually, Thomas," Kumu said as she walked in, dressed nicely for the evening, "Juliet and I have already taken care of that for you."

"You guys didn't have to do that. Oh, thanks for picking up the corned beef and baby reds for me, Kumu. How much do I owe you for that?"

"That's a gift for the weekend from Robin Masters, so no more talk of how much. There are two in there actually and two bags of baby red. You are having Father Mike over on Sunday still, correct?"

"Yeah; thanks, Higgins. We'll share with you both, of course."

Kumu grinned delightedly at Juliet. "We scored!"

Juliet smiled in response, "Family meal on the verandah, then?"

"Sounds good," Thomas confirmed.

"It will be nice to see Father Mike again!" Admiral Magnum declared. "Now, where are Rick and TC? It's time we went out for dinner?" As he said that, he rubbed his hands together, looking forward to the evening ahead.

***(*(*)*)***

**A/N: Yesterday was a disaster, interview-wise and Tuesday was a joke. I got to AFLAC and found out it was for the same kind of group meeting/interview as I had attended a couple of weeks ago. So nothing burger there...Yesterday, the phone interview for Walmart started okay, asking what kind of job I was looking for, but the next thing the phone interview/screener asked was - What year did you graduate from high school? I was a bit confused and so startled I automatically replied, flatly. " '71." The interviewer who sounded about 15 years old asked. "Excuse me, what year?"**

**"1971."**

**The voice said. "Well, thanks very much. Have a nice day." Klunk. She hung up on me. I was a bit in shock because I was fairly sure it is illegal for them to ask what year you graduated from high school. I thought they were only allowed to ask if you had graduated from high school or had a GED, not the year. Turns out I was right, but honestly? How was I supposed to respond? Should I have questioned why they were asking the year as I understood that was illegal to ask? I don't honestly know?  
**


	28. Restless Days Ch 28 Ch 8 Pt 21

Restless Days and Restless Nights

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Ch. 28  
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Photographs and Memories Ch. 8 Part 21  
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As the group entered Wolfgang's Steakhouse, they were greeted by Delphine and led to a nice quiet room, comfortably appointed and already set for them all, plus two seats. Thomas frowned, "Who is joining us, Uncle Terry?"

"Just you wait and see if they make it." Terry retorted, firmly.

Magnum frowned and Higgins thought not knowing was going to drive the younger Magnum crazy. The agony didn't last long though because Steve McGarrett and the younger SEAL from Five-O, Junior...she couldn't think of his last name, just now...walked in and greeted the former SEAL with enthusiasm, especially the younger SEAL, Junior. It almost seemed he had a case of hero worship for Thomas, which with some of the things Magnum had told her about McG (as the Private Investigator liked to call him) surprised her a bit. It seemed ironic Juni as Tani, his oft partner, called him, would hero worship Thomas when he lived with McG. However, as Junior spoke of Thomas breaching the retaining wall awhile ago, she realized it was Magnum's unique swimming gifts that had him rhapsodizing on TM. It made her smile. He mentioned something about Thomas' debriefing tapes, which led her to understand that Magnum's surviving the time he and his team were held by the Taliban was also part of his awe at Magnum and she truly could relate to that. The four of them had been through so much but survived by clinging to each other. She knew Thomas had seen to it he had endured the worst of what they went through, intentionally taking it onto himself. He cared about his friends, his team, that much. He would gladly have died for them. That said a lot about the man's character.

The British former agent tuned back into the conversation when she heard Junior ask if Thomas still had trouble with his feet, post-Afghanistan. She heard the older Magnum sharply ask. "What's this now?"

Thomas looked uncomfortable. "After I made it up to the roof of Al Sha'hab and put out the rocks, Uncle Terrence, the Taliban were pretty pissed off. They put me in stocks first, with my arms jackknife tied behind my back and beat me on the soles of my feet with a split bamboo cane."

"That's what happened to your feet?" Rick sounded absolutely horrified; and, picturing the torture Magnum described, Higgins could understand it.

"Well, the fact they made me stand for 2 hours in one of the gutters that drained each of the cesspools in our cells to the main cesspool while all the crap and pee ran over my tore up feet sure didn't help." Magnum retorted.

"God, I always wondered how you managed to get those feet, as messed up as they were, so infected in so short a time. Don't wonder anymore." TC shuddered. "They dragged you back in such bad shape that time and you'd only been gone less than 24 hours.

Magnum had a distant stare on his face. "I really made them mad, Teace. After the feet thing, they hung me from the rafters and caned my back 20 strokes to 'tenderize the meat' before they scourged me."

"How many lashes?" The Admiral asked sharply.

"The original sentence was for 39 lashes, but the Saudi Doctor they had prisoner stepped over and warned them that after 20 strokes with the bamboo cane, 39 lashes with a cat o' nine would kill me for sure. As they still wanted to keep alive the possibility of getting info out of me, or using me for propaganda filming or, selling me on the prisoner exchange market to Al-Shabab or Al Queda; they couldn't do any of that if I died, so they reduced it to 25."

"With a cat of nine tails?" It was clear this particular detail had never been divulged to Admiral Magnum because he was appalled and incensed to hear this.

"Yeah, they did quite a few rounds of plastic surgery to rid him of the furrows from his back before you even made it to Landstuhl, Uncle Terry." Rick put in.

"When they dragged him back into the cell, they let me and Rick out of our cages to help Nuzo care for Thomas after that. He was really in bad shape. You could see his lungs through the tears in his back...and his rib bones were actually visible. He got pneumonia...this was only three months into our captivity."

Magnum shrugged, "But Uncle T, I got the indicator up and one of the guards was sort of friendly to me. He came in a week later and whispered to me that Teams were looking for us, so I know your eyes in the sky saw my sign."

"Say, what now?" TC and Rick were staring at Thomas. "What did you do that earned you that punishment, Thomas?"

Magnum shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

"Damn it, it does, too. What did you do?"

"He put rocks on the roof of that old partially bombed out apartment complex that the Taliban had turned into a prison for coalition prisoners that spelled out TSM 4 plus sign 3." Admiral Magnum said, steadily. "Hannah had had you all declared KIA, but I didn't believe it...and Tommy and I had agreed before he deployed that I would have aerial recon monitoring all flyovers in case he put that sign out, if you all were captured and alive. Originally, it was him and Nuzo, but when they were assigned to team with you, he added 2 more. I was already at the Pentagon back then and I did have them monitoring for it. Sure enough, it popped up on that apartment complex. I made the Pentagon admit you boys were MIA, not KIA, after that and we started searching."

"You made it to the roof?" Rick was looking at Thomas, absolutely astounded. "How in the hell?"

"When I got loose and knocked the two that were dragging me off to the hole out, I headed for the roof as quick and quiet as I could. I managed to get up there and get the stones laid out in an unobtrusive way that I knew AR would pick up if Uncle Terry had been true to our agreement and I had faith he would be. I had to let them know we were alive, guys. That was critical!" Thomas said, firmly.

"Yeah, and we damn near lost you, because of it." TC ground out. "God, Thomas, the chances you took."

"We made it." The younger Magnum soothed his friend gently.

"You barely made it." Rick groused.

"But I did make it; and, we are all home now, so ease up, brother." Thomas rubbed Rick's neck to reassure him. Rick butted his head against TM's shoulder. Thomas patted his head, gently. "You guys were worth it all, Rick."

Rick's eyes dripped with moisture. "Smoke in here is getting to my eyes." He muttered.

"I'm in danger of losing my appetite," Higgins remarked.

"Oh, hell, no." The senior Magnum proclaimed. "No more talk of the bad times, gang. We are together now and the devil can go hang. We are alive and that's something to celebrate. I'm with my nephew and his friends. Name your beers or beverage of choice to the wait staff and let's order steaks or prime rib, y'all!"

The next several minutes were spent placing their orders for adult libations and food choices and how the cuts were to be cooked. Once the wait staff left, the Admiral looked over at Thomas. "It's good to be with you all." He toasted them with his water glass. 'I thank God daily that you made it home, boys."

"To Nuzo," Thomas said, raising his water glass with a sad smile.

"To Nuzo." Everyone voiced, in perfect unison.

"Absent friends and family." Terrence Magnum added.

"Amen." Thomas agreed.

Rick muttered to TC. "I bet Nuzo knew he did that, all along."

Thomas leaned forward and said, "Yes, he did. It was my duty, Rick. I was the officer."

"Oh, screw that." Rick retorted.

"Lay off, Rick." TC snapped, something he rarely did to Orville. "TM is an Academy trained officer. He understands his duty as well as anyone can. You don't have to like it, but you will bloody well respect it, Marine."

"Sir, yes, sir," Rick responded automatically.

"No more talk of the bad times," Thomas repeated what his Uncle had said earlier, firmly. "Sorry, it came up."

"It's dropped." But the blonde Marine was a bit subdued for quite a while into the dinner.

***(*(*)*)***

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this addition, y'all...a bit more progress made. G'night.**


	29. Restless Days Ch 29 Ch 8 Pt 22

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
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Ch. 29  
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Photographs and Memories Ch. 8 Part 22

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Thomas spent the early part of the dinner clearly trying to get Rick to return to his usual cheerful self, worried about his friend's reaction to what had happened back in Afghanistan. He understood the fear for his life that Rick, TC, and Nuzo had had to endure, but it was HIS life and he would gladly have given it for his friends. That may not make Rick happy, but he was satisfied he'd done his best for his friends. He didn't want Rick to be mad at him for the risks he took, because, in the end, they had paid off. They had eventually made it home, together. Shouldn't that be what counted the most, not the injuries or pain he'd suffered? He'd done what he did, knowing that he might pay the ultimate price, but counting that loss acceptable, if it helped his friends. It was his right to take that risk, damn it. It was his life. He loved his friends, but they didn't get to make those kinds of choices and decisions for him. It was his decision. Period, full stop.

Rick heard what Thomas was whispering to him...and the last thing he wanted to do was distress his brother. Thomas was right. Lord knew, in Rick's younger days, when he was running wild on the streets before Ice Pick cracked down on him, Rick had risked his own life for much cheaper and less worthy, not admirable, causes. Thomas had taken the chances he had for his friends, out of love, not wildness and not caring. His friend was an altogether admirable person. It just bothered Rick immensely to know how willing Magnum had been to give his life for his friends.

The knowledge of that disturbed him because he knew all too well how close they had come, again and again, and again, to losing Magnum, to this young man giving his life. Rick wasn't sure he agreed with what Thomas had said earlier when he said, "You guys were worth it all, Rick."

Was he, 'Rick' Orville Wright, was his life really worth the possible loss of a Thomas Magnum? Was he? Rick didn't think so. Now, he knew Thomas thought he was...he knew even TC would say he was, but Rick, himself, was not so sure. However, he was willing to allow that if Thomas, whom he admired so much, thought he, Rick, was worth dying for...maybe he did have some value. He would have to trust Thomas on that...and try to spend the rest of his life, living up to that faith in himself. Blood more precious to him then his own had been spilled to ensure he made it home. It seemed an impossible thing to live up to, but he would try. That much he could do. The last thing he ever wanted to do was let Thomas Sullivan Magnum the 4th down. He sighed and forced a smile to his lips, telling Thomas. "I love you, Thomas. Sorry, I'm being Debbie Downer over here. This is a happy time. Uncle Terry is here. It's family reunion time and I don't want to drag things down. I just...I don't think I'm worth the blood you spilled."

"Well, I do...and that's what matters, brother. It was my blood, so don't you think that's my decision?"

"Yes, I do. It hurts to admit that, but it was your life you risked and you get to make the choices you made, not me." Orville quietly admitted. "It just scares me. I don't want to lose you, Thomas."

"I'm not going anywhere, Rikki Tikki Tavi!" Thomas reassured him. "I promise I'll do my best to be here for you, brother, always. Okay?"

"That's one promise; I really want you to keep, Tommy." Rick made himself get back to normal, joking and teasing TC and smiling, even though inside he still hurt at knowing more fully what Thomas had done and what he'd gone through.

So Rick made a concerted effort to cheer himself up, because Thomas deserved to be happy at the time they were all getting to spend time with his Uncle Terry, not worry about Rick...and Orville Wright knew that is exactly what Magnum would do if he didn't buck up, cheer up and join in the fun. He made a concerted effort to tune back in to the myriad of conversations flowing around them.

What was the first thing he actually heard? He overheard Higgins asking Uncle Terry curiously. "How did you find out that Magnum and the team had made it back to Bagram?"

Thomas groaned. "I thought we weren't going to talk about the bad times." He didn't want Rick and TC getting wound up again.

Uncle Terry straightened him out on that point. "Thomas, I realize you were very ill at the time, but for me, it was a very happy time. Let me tell you, Higgins. I had been driving the team's commanding officer crazy calling him every other day looking for any update. We had people looking. We knew they were no longer captives because we saw the Taliban searching and there was chatter that they had lost four American prisoners. My nephew, Nuzo, Rick and TC were the only American prisoners at the time, so we knew somehow they had gotten away. We were searching too, and periodically, the team would lay out rocks in the signal Thomas and I had agreed on in rocks or plants or even stomping it out in plowed fields, so we knew they were making progress down from way up in the Korengal valley towards Bagram. There were FOB's they could have gone to, but I think they wanted to get back to where they had left from. By this point, we were aware Hannah had been behind their disappearance and she had gone on the run, but we didn't spread that word system-wide because we were hoping to catch her and those she had involved with her traitorous actions."

Thomas inserted. "We didn't know, for sure, that they knew Hannah was a turncoat and as a CIA agent she had access so we weren't sure who we could trust. It just seemed safer to make our way back to Bagram."

"So this one day, I called and their Commander Officer..."

TC inserted, "Buck Greene..."

"answered the phone and immediately said, "It's for you...", and the next voice I heard was my boy-o here, sounding very confused, "Hello?" The older Magnum's eyes met his nephews down the table. "I'm afraid I didn't think through what shape they might be in or how long they'd been there, I just started jawing with my nephew."

"Of course, one of the first things he asked was, 'Tommy boy, oh, thank God! How are you?" Thomas squirmed slightly.

The female former MI6 agent rolled her eyes. "No...Let me guess...he said, 'I'm fine, Uncle Terry.' "

The Admiral chortled, "Oh, this young lady, does know you, doesn't she, Tommy my boy!" He laughed delightedly at the embarrassed look on his nephew's face.

"Well, we walked from the upper Korengal all the way to Bagram in record time, so I was fine."

"No," TC corrected him, "you were exhausted and still suffering from a serious infection in the wound in your side, but pushed yourself and pushed yourself, again and again, to make sure we had food, we avoided the Taliban who were hunting us, we evaded the town and groups along the way who were Taliban sympathizers and co-operators. You wouldn't just let yourself be sick, you were still taking care of us, even as sick as you were."

Rick put his two cents in. "And you kept trying to carry on a conversation with your Uncle even though your fever had spiked again until your eyes rolled up in your head and you just collapsed."

"We barely caught you in time to keep you from crashing to the ground, Thomas." TC remonstrated him.

"And Nuzo grabbed the phone and told Uncle Terry...'Thomas isn't fine...he needs a medic really bad, I'll get back in touch and update you on everything as soon as I can.' and we all went to the base hospital!" Rick finished the story.

"I was so relieved just to have gotten to hear his voice." Terrence Magnum admitted, a bit teary-eyed. "Buck Greene got on the phone and told me they were getting Tommy and the rest of them to the base hospital and he would get Nuzo a cell phone and program it with my direct line, so Nuzo could keep me updated on what was going on day to day. He was as good as his word, too. Probably so relieved to pass that duty on to someone else that he didn't mind paying for the cell phone and a number of minutes for the boys to contact their families."

Rick chuckled and the humor was real now. "Yeah, he was really happy to pass that duty on to us. At this point, the only one of us besides Thomas who had ever met Uncle Terry was Nuzo and he and the Admiral got on like a house on fire, so that was fine. I could tell from hearing his side of the conversations a few times that the Admiral wanted to board a plane and come to see us right away, but Nuzo convinced him to wait until we got to Landstuhl, in Germany."

"It was hard waiting that long, but Nuzo was very convincing. Really, the real recovery was always going to be at Landstuhl. I did have to intervene a couple of times to get a strong enough antibiotic to beat down the infection Thomas had in the wound in his side and get Tommy strong enough to move to Landstuhl." The admiral put in, sounding miffed.

"The doctors at Bagram kept telling us to plan Magnum's funeral. They had never seen someone with an infection like Thomas had and in the shape, he was in, make it - recover. They were all for making him comfortable until he passed!" TC was clearly still angry over that. "Nuzo finally told Admiral Magnum he had to get us out of there before we were all court-martialled for killing the doctors. They kept saying this stuff right in the room with Thomas delirious on the bed. They assumed he couldn't understand them. We couldn't believe they would talk that way in front of the patient. We were really, really mad."

"I can see why." Higgins sounded just as outraged.

"So I sent in a friend of mine, Dr. Elias Hunt, along with an experimental antibiotic that cultures had shown could stop the infection Thomas had going on, based on culture and sensitivity. He went there with one purpose - to get our boys out of the clutches of those defeatist doctors."

TC smiled. "And, boy, did Dr. Hunt read them the riot act for the way they were acting, and talking about Thomas was probably going to die, right in the room in his hearing. He really objected to that and told them an intern under his instruction would have known better than to do something that stupid. They tried to object to him taking over the case and he really reamed them a new one, pointing out that he had been sent by an admiral who was well placed in the Pentagon and who happened to be the young man's only living relative and very invested in the well-being of his nephew. He basically said, "I would love to see you try and take on Admiral Magnum, but no this...you will be out of this man's Navy so fast it will make your heads spin. At that point, he overrode their objections to us being moved and to the special treatment Magnum was being given! He was great. Mind you, he admitted to the three of us, that there was a risk and some danger to Thomas involved, but we all agreed the risk was worth it to get TM away from those bozos."

"The only concession we made was to make the interview when Thomas was well enough to look like it was coming from Bagram when the truth was it wasn't made until after Thomas finally got well enough to hold it at Landstuhl. So, that's what we did." TC finished.

Terrence Magnum smiled. "Sometimes it pays to have friends in high places."

Rick grinned, "That's for damn sure!"

***(*(*)*)***

A/N: Well, I had an interview today at Macy's. It's only a part-time position, but that would be better than nothing. The interview seemed to go well, but if that will translate into anything remains to be seen. I have another interview in the morning, so at least I'm getting a few chances here.


	30. Restless Days Ch 30 Ch 8 Pt 23

Restless Days and Restless Nights  
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Ch. 30

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Photographs and Memories Ch. 8 Part 23

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The salads and other first course arrived and everyone suddenly found they were too hungry to talk while they began eating. However, it wasn't long before Steve McGarrett asked Uncle Terry, curiously. "So, Admiral Magnum, you said you were going to discuss a proposition this evening?"

"Not with dinner, Commander...with dinner we relax and talk about fond memories, no more bad times discussed tonight."

"Sounds like a plan, sir." McGarrett agreed, readily.

Junior turned to Magnum. "Sir, you went to the Naval Academy, like Commander McGarrett, correct?"

Thomas smiled at the younger former SEAL and said, "Don't call me, sir, Junior, I'm not in the Navy anymore. Call me Thomas. Yes, I went to the Academy."

"Did you always want to be a SEAL, si-sorry, Thomas?"

"No, my original plan was to be a Naval Aviator like my father was, but they did a complete physical including eyes and hearing at the ingress at the Academy and they found out I had slightly impaired vision as a result of a fever when I was a young child. I used to visit my relatives in Mexico every couple of years and I caught a jungle fever on one visit. My temperature was over 107 degrees Fahrenheit at one point and I had convulsions from what my Uncle tells me. I could have had Lasik surgery which might have remedied the vision problem, but I was nervous about possible side effects, so I didn't go that way. I decided on becoming a SEAL later...that's what Uncle Terry was for years and years before he went into Surface Warfare and captained a ship eventually." Junior's head whipped around and saw both the surface warfare insignia and the Trident on the Admiral's chest. Higgins noticed the Trident for the first time, as well.

"So you came by the urge to be a SEAL honestly, eh, Magnum?" Higgins snarked at the private investigator.

"That I did...plus it was a natural segue after doing Naval Intelligence, as well," Thomas replied easily.

"Honestly, I wasn't terribly thrilled when Thomas told me he wanted to be a SEAL. I knew the kind of SEAL he would be and didn't really want my boy getting himself killed," Uncle Terry admitted, "but after talking to him a bit, I realized his course was set, so I never told him my concerns. He had a wonderful career, while he was active, but I wasn't surprised he wound up disabled out. Thomas only ever knew one way to do anything and that was 'Full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes.' "

McGarrett barked out a laugh. "That's for damn sure. Nuzo had to practically put him in restraints when he determined that Thomas had to go to medical the 2nd day of Hell Week."

"You rung out?" Rick's head whipped around to look dumbfounded at Magnum.

McGarrett immediately corrected Rick. "No, Rick...when you are taken out of Hell Week for medical reasons, you get to rejoin the next class after you are pronounced medically fit to resume the training, Thomas and Nuzo left because Nuzo had a flaring ulcer..."

Thomas muttered, "Which I gave him..." McGarrett heard him say that and grinned at him.

"And Thomas had done several weeks of training with a complex fracture of his leg that had already started to heal, so he had to have surgery during which they rebroke his leg, correctly aligned it and screwed it in place with plates to hold it in alignment."

"So, Thomas was already pants at determining how badly he was injured all the way back then?" Rick asked, surprised.

"I'm afraid my nephew has always suffered from an unfortunate tendency to think pain is normal." Uncle Terry replied. "The jungle fever he mentioned a while ago...he had been sick for three days already before his Uncle noticed he was ill and only then did Thomas mention he was feeling 'a little weird and achy'. He had dengue fever, which turned into the severe form. It nearly killed him."

The younger Magnum squirmed uncomfortably. "Uncle Terry, that's an exaggeration. It wasn't that bad."

"Thomas Sullivan Magnum, you were bleeding in your gastrointestinal tract and they had to give you two blood transfusions. I am NOT exaggerating."

"Yes, sir." Thomas hung his head.

"Cheer up, laddie. You not only survived it, but you also thrived afterward. And went on to become an excellent Navy SEAL, so you have nothing to be ashamed of, my boy." His uncle told him.

Thomas smiled at that. "Thanks, Uncle Terry."

"I'll say you have nothing to be ashamed of Thomas, you did weeks of SEAL candidate training walking, running, swimming and pushing them out with a badly broken leg and you actually broke some records for accomplishments in the process, my friend. When I assigned Nuzo to you, I warned him to keep an eagle eye on you because you were the one trainee in the class that I knew was going to make SEAL or die trying and I damn well knew I wasn't going to let you die trying." McGarrett smiled at him. "So what did you go and do?"

Thomas smiled a little. "I could have joined the next class on the 2nd day of Hell Week right when I dropped out for the surgical repair of my leg, but I repeated the class from the beginning."

"Yeah," McGarrett said with a wry smile. "And you broke even more records, including your own from your previous class."

"And poor Nuzo repeated it right alongside me." Thomas looked sad at the memory. "He stayed my swim buddy all the way through, both times."

TC had been looking between McGarrett and Thomas as this was related by them in a back and forth patter. "Damn, Thomas, you never told us this story the whole time we were in captivity in Afghanistan and you made a big deal about me never telling you I wanted to go to art school..."

"Or that you took dance lessons...or that you had an art minor in college?" Thomas retorted. "Besides, I assumed Nuzo had told you the whole story one of the times I was in the hole, so I figured it would be old news."

"Well, he didn't. Probably thought it was your story to tell, buddy." Calvin told him. "Nuzo had so much respect for you, Thomas. I don't think sometimes that you realize just how much."

"I know how much he loved me. He was like an older brother from the day McGarrett here assigned him as my swim buddy."

Higgins looked at the head of Five-O. "You knew Thomas back when he was a SEAL candidate?"

"McGarrett was the lead instructor for my SEAL class, both times, Higgy," Thomas explained. "He was injured before the first time..."

"And when Thomas had to go have surgery and Nuzo had to get treated for his ulcer, I told the brass I wanted to return for the class when they rejoined...they actually kept me in an instructor role until after they came through the 2nd time," Steve explained. "When I was trained as an instructor, they told me that in every class there is one student you have to watch like a hawk or they'll almost kill themselves in the attempt to become a SEAL. I had Thomas here pegged as the one I had to watch in his class from the moment I first saw him. He had the family background in the Navy, the Academy training, the can-do attitude, the glint of determination in his eyes. I knew he would never ring out. And he didn't. Either time."

TC and Rick grinned. "No quit in our boy, ever!"

Uncle Terry raised his glass. "To my nephew, who has never known the word 'Quit'." Everyone toasted that, except Thomas who was busy blushing.  
***(*(*)*)***

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to get another chapter up. Hope you enjoyed this outing.**


	31. Restless Days Ch 31 Ch 8 Pt 24

Restless Days and Restless Nights

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Ch. 31

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Photographs and Memories Ch. 8 Part 24  
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As dinner was winding to a close, Admiral Magnum called down the table. "Orville, could you come over here for a moment, I have a question for you?"

Thomas frowned slightly at his Uncle. "Uncle Terry, what are you up to?"

"Nothing..." His uncle started to reply.

Rick cut in. "What's the matter, Tommy boy, you jealous your Uncle wants to talk to me one on one?"

"Of course, not, Rikki, but I know my Uncle...he's up to something...probably something that will embarrass me."

"Oh, good." TC cracked. "You blush so pretty!"

Higgins couldn't resist smiling as she thought Magnum was probably correct. Kumu looked queryingly at Magnum's Uncle who did NOT deny the charge. In fact, a slight grin tugged at the man's lips.

Rick went over and squatted next to Uncle Terry and the two conferred for a moment, which resulted in Rick vigorously nodding his head, telling the older man something, and hurrying out the door before Thomas could say a word. A moment later, Wolfgang, the restaurant's owner came in and advised them all they were going to move to the next room for dessert and some light entertainment.

Thomas rolled his eyes and remarked, 'sotto voce' to Junior. "Guess I won't be getting dessert. Want to make a bet I am the entertainer?"

Evidently, the comment wasn't made quite quietly enough, because his Uncle chimed in, "Surely you wouldn't deny this old man the pleasure of a few of his favorite tunes played by his favorite nephew."

"Old, my left toe," Thomas sniped, sarcastically. "And I'm your only nephew, thanks to Victor Charlie."

"Thomas," Kumu said, "you show your Uncle respect."

"Yes, ma'am." Thomas' face tinged slightly red at the remark. "Uncle Terry, I know the ones you mean, but I haven't practiced them in ages...I won't do very well with no preparation."

TC shook his head. "Man always says that, and he always does just fine."

"Theodore, you've never heard me play these particular songs. It's been a damn long time since I played any of them and longer since I played the instrument in question."

"Thomas, you learned to play these pretty damn well by ear long before you ever read sheet music, my boy. And I don't care how long it has been since you played piano, you are a natural and you know it!" The Admiral remarked.

"Nobody's a natural at keyboards," The younger Magnum remarked softly to Junior who grinned a little at the interplay between uncle and nephew. The younger Hawaii Five-O officer had the feeling this was a common game between the two men and he didn't know just how right he was, but the back and forth he was finding very entertaining.

Never the less, they all sojourned to the next room in a timely fashion. This room was tastefully furnished with comfortable seating in a rather homelike arrangement that included low tables, chairs and sofas and a baby grand piano at the far end. Thomas shook his head with a wry expression on his face. "Got it in one." He remarked aloud to no one in particular. He walked over to the piano, sat down at it, carefully raised the cover over the ivories and played a couple of scales to check that it was properly tuned. He looked at his uncle, smiled and remarked. "Well played, Uncle Terry. The usual?"

Terrence Magnum smiled. "And Melissa's Song at the end."

Thomas sighed and nodded his head. "Okay, Uncle T. As you wish."

Higgins and Kumu both sat near to the older Magnum. Higgin's was frankly curious. She knew Magnum played the guitar, but he played piano as well? She chuckled when he started out by playing Chopsticks, rather well, she had to admit, but still a pretty fundamental and basic exercise. He grinned over his shoulder at her when she chuckled, but the amusement she felt quickly died when he began the next musical interlude, what she would guess was an original arrangement of Canon's Pachebel in D Minor for piano. After he had finished playing Chopsticks, out of Thomas' view, Wolfgang opened several doors down the side of the sitting room allowing others in his restaurant to hear the music. When Thomas was a short way into the opening of the Pachebel, he startled slightly, his shoulders visibly stiffening, though he kept playing, when his piano playing was joined by a number of strings, other orchestral instruments, and harp accompaniment. Though the other musicians were clearly improvising to match his arrangement, the results were very pleasing indeed and had Higgins' mouth hanging open until TC reached over and closed it for her, very quietly remarking, "You'll choke if a fly flies in, sweetheart. Told you the man would do fine."

"I had no idea he knew classical music like that."

"Me neither, little sister, but nothing that man does REALLY surprises me anymore," Calvin replied steadily. "He's a multi-talented individual, isn't he?"

"I'll say..." Higgins replied, still stunned by how much she didn't know about the former SEAL and his many hidden abilities. Next, Thomas played Fur Elise, Claire du Lune, Eine Klein Nachtmusik, and three more classical piano pieces, frequently in what she realized to be either personally arranged or some obscure arrangement she had never heard before, which she rather doubted as her classical knowledge was rather broad, if she did say so herself. Finally, he began to play what was clearly an original piece which was poignant and beautiful, seeming to speak of fresh young love, simple joys and youth, maturing as the piece went on, suddenly turning sad and dark, almost hopeless, before a crashing piece that spoke of loss, sadness, despair and pain, following by a melancholy piece that gradually seemed to speak of hope and memory and joy in remembering the love that had gone before the loss. Though not nearly the same story, the music Magnum played brought tears to Juliet's eyes as she was remembering the early days of her romance with Richard, his loss and the pain of his death and the loss of her hoped-for-future and brought to mind her anger and despair at discovering his murderer was one of Britain's own...a co-worker and former trusted ally. What a terrible disappointment Ian had turned out to be...the horror of that and the memory of how Thomas had unquestioningly stood by her side and fought to bring that murderer to justice actually caused a few tears to slip past her control. As the song ended on an almost religious note, she smiled and nodded. It had truly been a beautiful piece.

Thomas visibly jumped when applause came through the open doors. Still, he stood by the piano and bowed to the room which also had his friends and family who were applauding as well. A gentleman entered the door and went directly to Magnum with a hand held out to him. "Young man, I understand we have you to thank for that wonderful entertainment. Thank you. I've never heard that piano arrangement of Pachebel's Canon in D minor before."

Thomas' Uncle chuckled, "That would be because Thomas wrote that himself when he was what, 7, Tommy?"

"I created it, Uncle Terry. I didn't write it. I still don't write music down myself. I just really liked that piece and wanted to play it myself, so I created it. Would I be correct to surmise you were the source of my accompaniment by actual orchestral instrumentation, sir?"

Steve McGarrett stepped up next to his former SEAL student. "Thomas, let me make the introductions, this is Maestro Michael McKean, the leader of the Honolulu Orchestra. Maestro McKean, this is Commander Thomas Sullivan Magnum the IV, a retired Navy SEAL."

"You recruiting another young man to Five-O, Steven?" The Irishman asked, good-humoredly.

"No, sir." Thomas said, firmly. "I'm just a private investigator now."

Just as firmly, the senior Magnum remarked. "For the moment, anyway."

"Ah, and here I was hoping I could convince you to fill in for my pianist in the orchestra who just went out on maternity leave the other day," McKean said, sadly.

"Oh, sir, thank you, but I'm nowhere near a competent enough a musician for something like that, Maestro."

"I think I'm a better judge of that than you are young man."

Thomas literally squirmed. "I'm not on that professional a level of ability."

"This discussion will be continued later." Higgins chimed in. She could see the private investigator/security consultant was genuinely uncomfortable with the situation. "Maestro, you can reach Thomas at Robin's Nest."

"Mr. Masters is a major contributor to our orchestra," McKean commented

"Of course he is," TC remarked to Rick, quietly.

"The last piece you played was very beautiful but I had never heard it before...what was it?"

"I call it, Melissa's Requiem, which is probably over-pretentious," Thomas explained. "Melissa was my first girlfriend. She died of a brain tumor when we were both young. I 'wrote' that and played it for her funeral mass, but Uncle Terry has always just called it 'Melissa's Song'. I worked with the music leader at the Cathedral and that piece IS actually written down. He did that for me."

"It was absolutely marvelous," McKean said earnestly.

"Music..."

"isn't really his gift." Higgins, TC, and Rick all chimed in with Magnum.

McKean tilted his head to the side and regarded all four of them incredulously.

"It's what Thomas always says when someone compliments him on his music," Higgins explained.

"It's been that way ever since one of the attendees at Melissa's funeral mass tried to get Thomas to accept a scholarship to Julliard based on that piece..." That information made Higgins' head whip around to regard Magnum's Uncle with shock clear in her expression.

"I was already down for Annapolis, Uncle Terry...my course was already set," Thomas said firmly.

"Course's can be adjusted," The admiral replied.

"Not mine, sir. It was never an option." The younger Magnum shook his head, resolute in his conviction of that fact.

**A/N: It's hard to believe that today was my one month anniversary of being gainfully employed after 16 years off work, so I suppose you could call this chapter a celebration of that fact. For those who are groaning and saying no one could be this multi-talented and diverse, I would respond by pointing back to the story of Magnum breaching the rock wall separating the estate waters from the ocean and say my distant cousin who actually was capable of breaching that way was also an almost concert-level pianist and a guitar player, so it happens. Shame Robert got himself killed. Considering he was running numbers at the time, so he might have had more in common with a young Rick than Thomas Magnum(right down to being a blonde in Chicago, now that I think of it), but still. Hope y'all enjoyed it! I didn't beta this nearly enough so I apologize for any mistakes, but I have an infected toe (hangnail) that is throbbing right now, so that's my excuse. Mohr soon! Ta y'all!**


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